Barbara Bush was ‘first lady of the greatest generation’
HOUSTON — Barbara Bush was remembered as the “first lady of the greatest generation” during a funeral Saturday attended by four former U.S. presidents and hundreds of other people who filled the church with laughter as much as tears, with many recalling her quick wit and devotion to family.
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush joked that his mother called her style of mothering him and his siblings “a benevolent dictatorship — but honestly, it wasn’t always benevolent.” He emphasized how she believed in the power of laughter and that joy should be shared.
He said he could still feel her presence on Saturday inside the largest Episcopal church in the U.S. and she would likely have given him advice on his eulogy: “Jeb, keep it short. Don’t drag this out,” he said to chuckles. He met her expectations with a speech lasting about seven minutes.
He choked up at one point while addressing the 1,500 people seated inside St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, where his parents regularly worshipped, when saying his mother — who was known for her self-deprecating remarks about her wrinkles and grey hair — was “beautiful” until the very end.
He said he felt privileged that he had a “front row” seat to the incredible love story shared by his mother and father, former president George H.W. Bush.
Presidential historian Jon Meacham, who wrote a 2015 biography on the former president, recalled Barbara Bush’s devotion to her husband of 73 years, noting he was the “only boy she ever kissed.”
Theirs was the longest marriage of any other presidential couple. One of just two first ladies to have a child elected president, Barbara Bush was widely admired for her plainspoken style.
“Barbara Bush was the first lady of the greatest generation,” Meacham said during his eulogy.
The couple’s family, including their five children, 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, played a prominent role in the two-hour service. Granddaughters offered readings, some their voices shaky with emotion, while their eight grandsons were pallbearers.
Two other former presidents — Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — along with their wives and current first lady Melania Trump attended. Former ambassadors, members of Congress, sports stars and Houston business owners also attended.
A eulogy was also given by Barbara Bush’s longtime friend Susan Baker, wife of former secretary of state James A. Baker III, who said Bush was “the secret sauce of this extraordinary family.”
As the funeral ended, George H.W. Bush was pushed in his wheelchair by his son George W. Bush as they followed the casket out of the church’s cavernous sanctuary.
Mourners sang Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, which Barbara Bush had requested as the final song. She died on Tuesday, with her husband by her side, at their home in Houston. She was 92.
The burial will be held at her husband’s presidential library at Texas A&M University, 161 kilometres northwest of Houston. Hundreds of people lined streets near the campus ahead of the service.
U.S. President Donald Trump did not attend, to avoid security disruptions.