Barbara Bush honored as 'the first lady of the greatest generation'

WEBVTT SHARE A FEW WORDS ABOUT MY MOM, I FEEL HER LOOMING PRESENCE BEHIND ME. I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SHE IS THINKING RIGHT NOW. JEB, KEEP IT SHORT, DO NOT DRAG IT OUT, PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY HEARD ENOUGH REMARKS ALREADY, MOST OF ALL, DO NOT GET WEEPY. REMEMBER I SPENT LIKE IT -- DECADES LAUGHING AND LIVING A LIFE WITH THESE PEOPLE. AND THAT IS TRUE. BARBARA BUSH TOLD OUR LIES WITH LAUGHTER AND JOY. AND IN THE CASE OF HER FAMILY SHE WAS OUR TEACHER AND ROLE MODEL ON HOW TO LIVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE AND MEANING. ON BEHALF OF OUR FAMILY WE WANT TO THANK THE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF EXPRESSIONS OF CONDOLENCE AND LOVE FOR OUR PRECIOUS MOTHER. WE WANT TO THANK HER CAREGIVERS FOR THEIR COMPASSIONATE CARE IN THE LAST MONTHS OF HER LIFE. I WANT TO THANK NEIL AND MARIA FOR THEIR NEXT-DOOR LOVE OF OUR PARENTS. AND JOHN AND SUSAN FOR THEIR ELOQUENT WORDS. MEACHAM, YOU MIGHT바카라 게임 웹사이트�VE BEEN LONG BUT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. WE WANT TO THANK RUSS AND LAURA FOR THEIR FRIENDSHIP AND PASTORAL CARE OF OUR PARENTS. AND WE WANT TO THANK ALL GATHERED HERE TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF BARBARA BUSH. IT IS APPROPRIATE TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE BECAUSE WE LEARNED TO DO THAT AT AN EARLY AGE. OUR MOM WAS OUR FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT TEACHER. SIT UP, LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE, SAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU, DO YOUR HOMEWORK, QUIT WHINING AND STOP COMPLAINING, EACH OF BROCCOLI, YES DAD SHE SAID THAT. [LAUGHTER] THE LITTLE THINGS WE LEARNED BECAME HABITS, AND THEY LED TO BETTER THINGS LIKE BE KIND. ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. NEVER DISPARAGE ANYONE. SURVIVORS. TREAT EVERYONE -- SERVE OTHERS. TREAT EVERYONE AS YOU WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED. AND LOVE GOD WITH YOUR HEART AND SCHOOL. AND -- AND SOUL. WHAT A BLESSING TO HAVE HER AS A TEACHER. TO BE CLEAR, HER STUDENTS WERE NOT PERFECT. MOM GOT US THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES WITH CONSISTENT, TOUGH LOVE. SHE CALLED HER STYLE THE BENEVOLENT DICTATORSHIP. BUT HONESTLY IT WAS NOT ALWAYS BENEVOLENT. [LAUGHTER] WHEN OUR CHILDREN GOT A LITTLE OLDER, THEY WOULD SPEND MORE TIME VISITING THEIR GAMPY AND GANNY. IT WOULD TAKE ONE WEEK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY WERE PITCHING IN, THEY DID NOT FIGHT AS MUCH, AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY NICE TO BE WITH. I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO THE UNBRIDLED FEAR OF THE GANNY LECTURE AND THE HABIT-FORMING EFFECTS OF BETTER BEHAVIOR TAKING HOLD. EVEN IN THE 90바카라 게임 웹사이트�S -- EVEN IN HER 90바카라 게임 웹사이트�S, SHE COULD STRIKE FEAR INTO HER NIECES, NEPHEWS, AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN. THERE WERESPACES OR MICRO AGGRESSIONS WITH ARBOR BUSH. -- THERE WERE NO SAFE SPACES OR MICRO AGGRESSIONS WITH BARBARA BUSH. FROM HER WE LEARNED NOT TO TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY, HUMOR IS A JOY THAT SHOULD BE SHARED. SOME OF MY GREATEST MEMORIES ARE PARTICIPATING IN OUR FAMILY DINNERS WHERE MOM WOULD GET IN WITH GEORGE W AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE. WE WOULD BE LAUGHING TO TEARS. HER AUTHENTIC PLASTIC CURLS, SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL UNTIL THE DAY SHE DIED. HER HUGGING OF AN HIV AIDS PATIENT AT A TIME WHEN HER OWN MOTHER WOULD NOT DO IT. HER STANDING BY A LITTLE MAN WITH RUNNING POETRY IN THE 1980 FOUR ELECTION. IN A THOUSAND OTHER WAYS BARBARA BUSH WAS REAL AND THAT IS WHY PEOPLE LOVE HER. OUR FAMILY HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE MOST AMAZING LOVE STORY. THROUGH MULTITUDE OF MOVES, FROM NEW HAVEN, TO ODESSA, TO D.C. TO NEW YORK, TO D.C., TO HOUSTON, TO D.C., TO HOUSTON AND KENNEBUNKPORT. THEIR LOVE WAS A CONSTANT IN OUR LIVES. OUR DAD IS A PHENOMENAL LETTER WRITER. HERE IS ONE OF THE LETTERS HE WROTE ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY. WILL YOU MARRY MEAC OH I FORGOT WE DID THAT 49 YEARS AGO. I WAS VERY HAPPY ON THAT DAY IN 1945. I바카라 게임 웹사이트�M EVEN HAPPIER TODAY. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME JOY FEW MEN KNOW. YOU HAVE MADE OUR BOYS INTO MEN BY BALLING THEM OUT AND THEN LOVING THEM. YOU HAVE RAISED THE SWEETEST, GREATEST DAUGHTER AND THE WHOLE WORLD. I HAVE CLIMBED THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD, BUT EVEN THAT CANNOT HOLD A CANDLE TO BEING BARBARA바카라 게임 웹사이트�S HUSBAND. MOMMIES TO TELL ME, NOW GEORGE, DO NOT WALK AHEAD -- MOM USED TO TELL ME, GEORGE, DO NOT LOG AHEAD, LITTLE DID SHE KNOW THAT I WAS TRYING -- DO NOT WALK AHEAD, LITTLE DID SHE KNW I WAS TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH BARBARA BUSH. MY MOM WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, MY DAD SHOWED UP A DAY LATER WITH AN ILLNESS. HE CAME IN WHEN SHE WAS SLEEPING AND HELD HER HAND. HIS HAIR WAS STANDING UP, HE WAS WEARING A HOSPITAL GOWN. IN OTHER WORDS, HE LOOKS LIKE HELL. -- HE LOOKED LIKE HELL. MOM OPENED HER EYES AND SAID GEORGE, YOU바카라 게임 웹사이트�RE DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME. EVERY NURSE, AND DR. HAD TO RUN TO THE HALLWAY BECAUSE THEY STARTED CRYING. I HOPE YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE THINK OUR MOM AND DAD ARE TEACHERS AND MODELS FOR OUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND MANY OTHERS. THE LAST TIME I WAS WITH HER I ASKED HER ABOUT DYING. WAS SHE READY TO GO? WAS SHE SAD? SHE SAID JEFF, I BELIEVE IN JESUS AND HE IS MY SAVIOR. I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE YOUR DAD BUT I KNOW I WILL BE IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. WE LOOK FOR TO BEING W

More than 1,000 mourners gathered in Texas Saturday to attend the funeral of former First Lady Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty, who was dubbed "the first lady of the greatest generation" during the service.The funeral was held in Houston at the Bush family's church, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, and, per the former first lady's request, was a very simple service. Among the approximately 1,500 attendees were former Presidents George H.W. Bush, George Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. First Lady Melania Trump and former first ladies Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton were also in attendance.Son Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, grew emotional as he delivered remarks about his mother's legacy."We learned to strive to be genuine and authentic by the best role model in the world," Bush said of his mother. During his last visit with her, Bush said that he asked his mother what her feelings were about death. "Jeb, I believe in Jesus and he is my savior," she told him. "I don't want to leave your dad but I know I'll be in a beautiful place."Bush, only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and son elected president of the United States, died Tuesday at the age of 92 at her home in Houston. She had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, and decided against seeking additional medical help earlier this week after a series of hospitalizations.As the family entered the church, the second President Bush guided his father's wheelchair to the family's pew. He also guided the wheelchair out of the church as eight of Barbara Bush's grandchildren carried her casket outside following the service.The service also included eulogies from Bush's close friend Susan Baker and historian Jon Meacham."Barbara Bush was the first lady of the greatest generation," Meacham said.The historian said she was a "point of light" because of the kindness and compassion she showed when she embraced HIV-positive and AIDS patients in the late 1980s and her dedication to the issue family literacy.Baker said that as the "tough, but loving, enforcer," Bush was "the secret sauce of this extraordinary family.""Thank you, dear Lord, for bringing Barbara Pierce Bush, this vibrantly beautifully human being, into the world, and especially for bringing her friendship into our lives," Baker said.Many of the speakers made sure to include funny stories about Bush, who was known for being quick-witted and having a good sense of humor. Meacham said that during her final days in the hospital, Bush jokingly asked a nurse if she wanted to know "why George W. turned out the way he had." Meacham said she replied, "I smoked and drank while I was pregnant."In another emotional moment, six of Bush's grandchildren -- all women -- each read a section from a passage from the Book of Proverbs that began with the lines, "Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'"The Bushes were married for 73 years.In another nod to the former first lady, many women wore pearl necklaces to the funeral, a clear acknowledgment of her signature accessory. Bush Sr., who is known for wearing bold, patterned socks, wore a pair of socks picturing a stack of colorful books to honor his wife and her championing the issue of family literacy.First Lady Melania Trump personally invited George Hannie, former White House maÎtre d' in the Bush White House, and Buddy Carter, the current White House usher, who also worked for the Bushes, to join her at the service, according to her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham. Both of the men knew and adored the former first lady."Mrs. Trump knows how close they were and are to the Bush family," Grisham said. "She wanted them to be able to attend."In a statement released on Saturday, Trump said, "Today the world paid tribute to a woman of indisputable character and grace."President Donald Trump opted out of attending the funeral to "avoid disruptions due to added security" and out of respect for the Bush family. On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he was headed to Mar-a-Lago to watch a feed of the funeral, and also tweeted a photo of Bush's portrait that hangs in the White House.Trump's absence from Bush's funeral is not uncommon for a sitting president. Barack Obama did not attend Nancy Reagan's funeral in 2016 or Betty Ford's funeral in 2011. George W. Bush did not attend Lady Bird Johnson's funeral in 2007. Bill Clinton, however, attended a graveside service for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who died in 1994.Following the service, the casket was carried out of the sanctuary by Bush's eight grandsons. Bush Sr. followed closely behind in a wheelchair that was pushed by his son.The family then headed to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, where Bush was buried on the library's grounds next to the couple's daughter Robin, who died from leukemia as a child. As the procession arrived, the streets leading to the library were flanked by members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.Bush was laid to rest in a private ceremony.

HOUSTON —

The funeral was held in Houston at the Bush family's church, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, and, per the former first lady's request, was a very simple service. Among the approximately 1,500 attendees were former Presidents George H.W. Bush, George Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. First Lady Melania Trump and former first ladies Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton were also in attendance.

Paul Morse/Office of George H. W. Bush

First Families pose at the funeral of Barbara Bush

Son Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, grew emotional as he delivered remarks about his mother's legacy.

"We learned to strive to be genuine and authentic by the best role model in the world," Bush said of his mother. During his last visit with her, Bush said that he asked his mother what her feelings were about death. "Jeb, I believe in Jesus and he is my savior," she told him. "I don't want to leave your dad but I know I'll be in a beautiful place."

Bush, only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and son elected president of the United States, died Tuesday at the age of 92 at her home in Houston. She had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, and decided against seeking additional medical help earlier this week after a series of hospitalizations.

As the family entered the church, the second President Bush guided his father's wheelchair to the family's pew. He also guided the wheelchair out of the church as eight of Barbara Bush's grandchildren carried her casket outside following the service.

The service also included eulogies from Bush's close friend Susan Baker and historian Jon Meacham.

"Barbara Bush was the first lady of the greatest generation," Meacham said.

The historian said she was a "point of light" because of the kindness and compassion she showed when she embraced HIV-positive and AIDS patients in the late 1980s and her dedication to the issue family literacy.

Baker said that as the "tough, but loving, enforcer," Bush was "the secret sauce of this extraordinary family."

"Thank you, dear Lord, for bringing Barbara Pierce Bush, this vibrantly beautifully human being, into the world, and especially for bringing her friendship into our lives," Baker said.

Many of the speakers made sure to include funny stories about Bush, who was known for being quick-witted and having a good sense of humor. Meacham said that during her final days in the hospital, Bush jokingly asked a nurse if she wanted to know "why George W. turned out the way he had." Meacham said she replied, "I smoked and drank while I was pregnant."

In another emotional moment, six of Bush's grandchildren -- all women -- each read a section from a passage from the Book of Proverbs that began with the lines, "Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'"

The Bushes were married for 73 years.

In another nod to the former first lady, many women wore pearl necklaces to the funeral, a clear acknowledgment of her signature accessory. Bush Sr., who is known for wearing bold, patterned socks, wore a pair of socks picturing a stack of colorful books to honor his wife and her championing the issue of family literacy.

First Lady Melania Trump personally invited George Hannie, former White House maÎtre d' in the Bush White House, and Buddy Carter, the current White House usher, who also worked for the Bushes, to join her at the service, according to her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham. Both of the men knew and adored the former first lady.

"Mrs. Trump knows how close they were and are to the Bush family," Grisham said. "She wanted them to be able to attend."

In a statement released on Saturday, Trump said, "Today the world paid tribute to a woman of indisputable character and grace."

President Donald Trump opted out of attending the funeral to "avoid disruptions due to added security" and out of respect for the Bush family. On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he was headed to Mar-a-Lago to watch a feed of the funeral, and also tweeted a photo of Bush's portrait that hangs in the White House.

Trump's absence from Bush's funeral is not uncommon for a sitting president. Barack Obama did not attend Nancy Reagan's funeral in 2016 or Betty Ford's funeral in 2011. George W. Bush did not attend Lady Bird Johnson's funeral in 2007. Bill Clinton, however, attended a graveside service for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who died in 1994.

Following the service, the casket was carried out of the sanctuary by Bush's eight grandsons. Bush Sr. followed closely behind in a wheelchair that was pushed by his son.

The family then headed to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, where Bush was buried on the library's grounds next to the couple's daughter Robin, who died from leukemia as a child. As the procession arrived, the streets leading to the library were flanked by members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.

Bush was laid to rest in a private ceremony.

Barbara Bush honored as 'the first lady of the greatest generation'

Share

Share

Share

Related Content

Top Picks