Arizonans heading to D.C. for senator’s memorials

These days are a blur for Paul Hickman: a mix of sadness over the death of his former boss, Sen. John McCain, and of wistfulness for happier times such as the 2000 presidential campaign.

Hickman attended Wednesday’s ceremony for the six-term senator at the state Capitol Rotunda, then went to rehearsal for Thursday’s memorial service in Phoenix.

After that, he’s heading to Washington, D.C., for the ceremonies there.

“For me, it’s not optional,” said Hickman, president and CEO at the Arizona Bankers Association and a former Arizona state director for McCain.

Friends, staffers and others are making their way to the nation’s capital to pay tribute to McCain, who died Saturday after a 13-month battle with brain cancer.

Other McCain campaign veterans, such as Charlie Black, made their way to Arizona for the same reason.

George Weisz, of Scottsdale, met the six-term senator 37 years ago. His dad, also a Navy man, had met McCain soon after he moved to Arizona, and told his son he needed to get to know him, too.

They quickly became friends. Weisz carried his friend’s casket at the church ceremony in Phoenix. He will travel to Washington to attend services there.

“He’s left imprints on my heart and in my spirit, and I want to honor him as much as I can,” he told

“I want to go back and honor him and Cindy and their incredible family. They’ve made great sacrifices for all of us to make sure we have a better country.”

Weisz remembered running for the state Legislature in the mid-1980s, as McCain was finishing up his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The McCains had a fundraiser for him at their home in north-central Phoenix.

“We did incredibly well because people wanted to see his house,” Weisz said, laughing.

Bettina Nava, who once worked as state director for McCain, said she booked her flight the moment she knew details of the services in Washington.

“It was a privilege to work with him,” she said. “We all consider ourselves McCain family. We consider it our job to pick up the torch to keep on going.”

Nava also attended Wednesday’s event at the state Capitol.

Today, McCain will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. On Saturday, there is a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama are scheduled to deliver eulogies.

On Sunday, McCain will be buried at the Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland, next to lifelong friend Chuck Larson, whom he met at the academy.

Michelle Shipley, his office’s state director, will be traveling to Washington.

Jim Kolbe, a former Tucson congressman whose career in Washington began shortly after McCain’s, laid a wreath near McCain’s casket at the state Capitol on Wednesday. After Thursday’s church ceremony, he will fly back to Washington, where he splits his time.

“John McCain was very dear and close personal friend,” he said, and a “great American statesman and patriot. As someone who was close to him, I want to be there for his send-off and for his family.”