Four former U.S. presidents were among some 1,500 mourners who gathered to pay their last respects to Barbara Bush.
Some 1,500 mourners gathered to pay their final respects on Saturday to Barbara Bush.
The former first lady, who died on Tuesday at the age of 92, was remembered for her dignity and devotion both to her family and public service.
Her son Jeb, former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate, delivered the eulogy.
SOUNDBITE: JEB BUSH, BARBARA BUSH’S SON, SAYING:
“She called her style a benevolent dictatorship, but honestly, it wasn’t all that benevolent.”
Bush was the matriarch of one of the country’s most prominent political dynasties.
She was the wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and the mother of George W. Bush.
She was celebrated as an inspiration, for her strong sense of decency and honor.
SOUNDBITE: JOHN MEACHAM, HISTORIAN, SAYING:
“She was a point of light. In 1989 when many Americans lived in ignorance of HIV AIDS, Ms. Bush went to a home for infected infants and hugged the children there as well as an adult male patient. The images sent a powerful message – one of compassion, of love and of acceptance.”
Dignitaries from around the world attended Bush’s funeral at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston where she and her husband were members for decades.
Seated in the front row were former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, along Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
First lady Melania Trump was also at the service.
President Donald Trump, who clashed with the Bush family during his 2016 campaign, did not attend the funeral.
Barbara Bush was laid to rest at the Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University, buried next to her daughter Robin who died as a child from leukemia.
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