Niles Remembers Young Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attacks

On Monday, as news of Osama bin Laden's killing made headlines, some Niles residents remembered a young woman with connections to the village who was among the dead on Sept. 11, 2001.

Niles Mayor Robert Callero, trustee-elect Rosemary Palicki and Niles Library Marketing Director Sue Wilsey all recalled that the Przybylo family, which owns and operates White Eagle Banquets, has lost one of its beloved young members. 

Vanessa Przybylo Kolpak, who lived in Lincolnwood, was the daughter of Vivian Przybylo Kolpak, one of the six siblings who run the landmark banquet hall, and the niece of Andrew Przybylo, a Niles village trustee.

Vanessa, who phoned her family after terrorists' planes hit the first tower to say she was all right, did not make it out of the second tower alive, according to news reports at the time. She had been working at the offices of Keefe, Bruyette and Woods there after graduating magna cum laude from Georgetown University.  She was 21.

Her father Paul told CBS2 Monday that bin Laden's death won't make any difference, since it won't bring back his daughter. 

Palicki, who was dean of St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago for many years, remembered that Vanessa had been a student there and graduated from the school.  She was a National Merit Scholar, according to CBS2.