Barbara Bush was remembered at her funeral as a loving wife, mother and friend with a devilish sense of humor and who represented the best of the World War II generation.
As the commencement service for her burial fully kicks off Saturday morning local time, Barbara will be buried beside her daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia in 1953 at the age of three.
“Barbara Bush was the first lady of ‘the greatest generation,'” presidential historian Jon Meacham, a friend of the Bush family, said in a eulogy at Saturday’s funeral service in Texas that drew signatories from across the nation and around the world.
Meacham recalled the snowy-haired former first lady’s “long and consequential life,” not least her promotion of literacy, her quick-witted humor and her trademark faux pearls.
“She was candid and comforting,” Meacham said, describing her as a “point of light” who “kept everything and everyone together.”
Some 1,500 guests filled St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston for the service.
Barbara Bush, who died on Tuesday at the age of 92, had requested in her last wishes a modest funeral at the Gothic-style cathedral, where she and her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, were devoted members for decades.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in his eulogy described his “precious mother” as someone who “filled our lives with laughter and joy.”
“She was our teacher and role model on how to live a life of purpose and meaning,” he said.
Barbara Bush’s casket arrived Friday at St. Martin’s, the nation’s largest Episcopal church, where she lay in repose as the public was invited to pay respects from noon to midnight, according to the Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home in Houston.
The Rev. Russell Levenson Jr. and the Rev. Dr. Peter Cheney were co-officiants of Saturday’s service, which began at 11 a.m. local time. Barbara Bush’s grandsons served as pallbearers.
Four of the five living ex-presidents attended Saturday’s funeral service, including former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle; as well as former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary.
The Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea Clinton, was also in attendance.
Following the service, a funeral procession will bring Barbara Bush’s casket to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum near Texas A&M University in College Station for a private service, where she will be buried in a family plot beside her daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia at the age of three in 1953.
The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets are expected to line Barbara Bush Avenue outside the library to pay tribute to the former first lady.
First lady Melania Trump attended Saturday’s service “on behalf of the first family,” White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters said in a statement.
“To avoid disruptions due to added security, and out of respect for the Bush Family and friends attending the service, President Trump will not attend.”
