Wide range of notable people to be at services
John McCain’s memorial services will unfold much like the late senator’s life: Sprawling across the country, in churches and military bases and monuments to American greatness, and filled with a deep list of friends and family. McCain died Saturday at age 81. The late senator’s office released a list of speakers and pallbearers for his various memorial services. The list, which stretches on for dozens and dozens of names, reflects a carefully selected mix. It includes the expected — children and grandchildren, political stalwarts and longtime staff members — but also liberal actors and Arizona sports icons.
And there’s one notable absence.
The presidents
McCain ran for president twice. In 2000, he lost a bitter Republican primary race to George W. Bush. Eight years later, he won his party’s nomination and was trounced in the general election by Barack Obama.
At McCain’s request, both presidents will speak at his service at the National Cathedral.
“Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended,” Bush said in a statement after McCain’s death. “Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order.”
In a statement issued with his wife, Obama called his political battles with McCain “a privilege, something noble,” and emphasized what the two men had in common: “…We shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher — the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched and sacrificed.”
Presidents No. 43 and 44 will speak at a DC service loaded with political heavyweights: Former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and a handful of friends from the Senate are scheduled to speak or carry McCain’s casket.
Left uninvited is President No. 45. McCain’s long-simmering feud with Donald Trump — who reportedly nixed a White House statement praising the senator’s life — led McCain to request the president stay away from his services. Vice President Mike Pence will attend in Trump’s place.
The children
All seven of McCain’s children are scheduled to speak or read at their father’s services. His daughter Meghan and son Jack, both from McCain’s second marriage, will give tributes.
Bridget and Andrew McCain will read Bible verses at today’s service in Phoenix. Jimmy and Sidney will read a poem and a Bible verse, respectively, at Saturday’s service in Washington. And Doug will read a verse at Sunday’s service at the Naval Academy.
Four of McCain’s grandchildren will serve as pallbearers during the Sunday ceremony.
Throughout his life, McCain was publicly proud but privately protective of his children. His oldest son, Doug, told the New York Times in 2007 that his father preferred the family keep their privacy.
The athletes
McCain’s friend and Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will speak at Friday’s memorial in Phoenix. Diamondbacks World Series hero Luis Gonzalez and former Coyotes captain Shane Doan will serve as pallbearers for the service.
One of the state’s most visible sports fans, McCain arrived in Arizona before most of his favorite teams. He welcomed the Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Coyotes to the state, then became a fixture in their stadiums. He also held Suns season tickets, down in the corner.
In June 2017, he appeared sluggish and confused at a Senate hearing, then half-jokingly explained that a Diamondbacks game that kept him up the night before.
The veterans
Perhaps America’s most wellknown Vietnam veteran, McCain filled his list of speakers and pallbearers with decorated military members, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis, retired Gen. David Patraeus and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.
After the services, McCain will be buried at the U.S. Naval Academy. His burial plot will be next to fellow academy graduate and lifelong friend Adm. Chuck Larson.
The business heavyweights
Over decades of fundraising and deal-making, McCain became friends with leaders of some of the country’s largest companies, many of whom were included in his memorial plans.
Richard Adkerson, CEO of Phoenixbased mining company FreeportMcMoRan, FedEx founder Fred Smith and top AT&T lobbyist Tim McKone will be among the pallbearers at McCain’s services.
Also carrying his casket will be Robert Delgado, the CEO of Hensely Beverage Company. McCain’s late father-inlaw, Jim Hensley, founded the beer distributor, and his son Andrew is now the company’s president. His wife, Cindy, is the company’s largest stockholder and chair of the board.
The progressive Hollywood star
One of a small handful of Democrats included in McCain’s services, actor and director Warren Beatty will serve as a pallbearer on Saturday.
McCain described Beatty, who is 81, as a close friend, and gave a video tribute to the Hollywood stalwart when he was awarded the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award in 2008.
Beatty, a self-described liberal Democrat, told the Atlantic that same year that he had been friends with McCain since before his first bid for the Oval Office, and that their political differences didn’t affect their friendship.