Fifty eight individuals lost their lives in this tragic accident.  They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters who hailed from twelve different states.  They left behind them grieving spouses, parents, children, and siblings.  This accident claimed one entire family, two parents traveling with one small child each, three married couples and many woman and men, both married and single, who were traveling by themselves.
    Two individuals with reservations that night decided at the last minute to cancel their reservations. One man was standby passenger who was allowed on board, but had to give up his seat when the ticket holder arrived late. These were the fortunate people.
    While nearly six decades has passed since this accident, none of these individuals have been forgotten. Many spouses, children and grandchildren are alive today who remember them lovingly and still seek answers to why and how this accident happened.  Over four year during her research efforts, Valerie van Heest has located  47 of the 58 families who lost a loved one in the accident. Several families traveled to Michigan for two separate memorial events and expressed finding comfort in meeting the other families who intimately understand the trauma of a sudden and unexpected loss such as this. It is hoped that the remaining eleven families will soon be found.
    The NUMA/MSRA search team feels a responsibility to these families.  This project has become more than just a challenge to locate a lost aircraft, it has become a journey of rediscovering the lives of the people who were lost in this crash and remembering that for their families this accident  was a life shattering experience. 
    MSRA organized a memorial service held on May 7, 2006 on Lake Michigan near the sight of the crash. Two Flight 2501 families were present for the service, the names of all 58 individuals were read and a wreath with 58 flowers was tossed into the lake in their memory. 
    A second service was held in September 2008 at the location of the mass grave discovered at the Riverview Cemetery in St. Joseph, Michigan. Many families traveled from places around the country to participate in the service and a dinner afterwards.