Barbara Bush Remembered At Funeral With Laughter And Tears

HOUSTON, TX — Hundreds gathered Saturday morning at St. Martin's Church in Houston for the private funeral service of former first lady Barbara Bush, whose blunt talk, quick wit and unabashed public devotion to family made her a beloved political figure and a motherly icon to Americans of all political stripes.

The service itself was a who's who of dignitaries, including former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and current first lady Melania Trump. Seated near them, were Johnsons and Kennedys, Nixons and Fords, Condoleezza Rice, Jeff Sessions, Chuck Norris and a gaggle of friends of family.

The service at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church was funny, charming, witty and eloquent — just as the former first lady planned herself three weeks ago with her pastor. She died Tuesday at her home in Houston holding the hand of her husband, former President George Bush.

They had met shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor when she was 16, was 17, marking the beginning of an uncommonly durable public love story.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush delivered his mother's eulogy. He said one of the most important lessons she taught him was the power of laughter and that joy should be shared. She used a firm hand with a gentle touch, though, to keep the Bush family in line and critics at bay.

“We learned to strive to be genuine and authentic by the best role model in the world,” the former governor told mourners. “She called her style a benevolent dictatorship, but honestly it wasn’t always benevolent.”

He choked up at one point, saying his mother — who was known for her self-deprecating remarks about her wrinkles and gray hair — was "beautiful" until the very end. Bush said he felt privileged that he had a "front row" seat to the incredible love story that his parents shared.

The funeral procession illustrated her popularity and the breadth of her appeal as folks lined Memorial Park in Houston to pay their respects. It didn't stop there as thousands lined the highways through Houston, Cypress, Waller, Hempstead, Navasota and College Station, which was the final destination. In Navasota, firetrucks lined the Highway 3090 overpass to pay their respects. In College Station, thousands of people lined the streets for their farewells, with some people even handing out pearls to the Texans, Aggies and all others watching the motorcade.

President Donald Trump chose not attend the service to spare it from being disrupted by additional security, the White House said. He released a statement before golfing at one of his Florida courses Saturday saying his "thoughts and prayers" are "with the entire Bush family."

More than 6,200 people had passed through the church Friday to pay their final respects to Mrs. Bush, wife of the 41st president and mother of the 43rd. The private service Saturday was limited to 1,500 people who were sent invitations.

Longtime friend Susan Baker and historian Jon Meacham, who wrote a 2015 biography of George H.W. Bush, also spoke at the funeral. Meacham recalled her work bringing awareness to AIDS patients and in promoting literacy. He cited her quick wit that made her so popular. Meacham recalled personal examples of his interactions with Barbara Bush that left the attendees laughing.

Baker, the wife of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, said the former first lady's motivation to help others was "never about herself" but about giving support to others in need. She described Mrs. Bush as "the secret sauce of this extraordinary family."

At the end of the service, mourners sang "Joyful, joyful, we adore thee" as the family left the nation's largest episcopal church.

Following the service, the former first lady was laid to rest at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University. The burial site is near a creek and burial site of the couple's daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia in 1953 at the age of 3.

Hundreds of people lined both sides of the street as the funeral procession rolled to the burial site. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says the ceremony was "a very brief but poignant and beautiful ending to a very moving and incredible day. It would have been exactly what Barbara Bush wanted."

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Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images