HOUSTON, Texas (NEWS CENTER Maine) – Grace, kindness, strength, quick wit: those words first come to the minds of visitors, many of whom never met former First Lady Barbara Bush.
Mrs. Bush died on Tuesday after no longer seeking medical treatment for health issues including COPD.
Her lifestyle in Houston seemed no different than the one she led in Maine: making friends with anyone she met while out in public, and welcoming them with a smile. ‘First Lady’ was her secondary identity.
Those who paid their respects to the matriarch of the Bush family over two days of funeral services remembered her not with sadness, but with pride. Her passion behind literacy and caring for children are the hallmarks of her legacy.
On Friday, thousands descended on St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, wearing the former First Lady’s favorite color, blue, and donning pearl necklaces in her honor.
Houstonians remember seeing her in local restaurants, or out on popular jogging paths walking her dogs.
Many brought mementos, including pictures of her and her husband, the 41st President.
St. Martin’s is the largest church of that denomination in North America. The Bush family’s membership there began in 1964.
The public visitation for Mrs. Bush began on noon on Friday and lasted until midnight. Each visitor left with a small token of thanks for their prayers and friendship.
On Saturday, the halls of St. Martin’s Church surrounded nearly 1,500 of the Bush family’s friends and co-workers: four former Presidents, the current First Lady, dozens of U.S. Senators.
Jon Meachem, Susan Baker, and Mrs. Bush’s son, Jeb, delivered speeches reflecting on Mrs. Bush’s strength, compassion, dry humor, and the love between her and her husband.
Breathing the same air of some of the world’s most influential people, sat Mrs. Bush’s close friends from Maine.
WATCH: Maine friends attend private funeral services for Barbara Bush
U.S. Senator Susan Collins traveled with First Lady Melania Trump to the ceremony. Senator Collins’ friendship with the Bush family dates back more than 20 years. She visits them at their home on Walker’s Point each summer, and said she intends to return this year. Mrs. Bush campaigned with her when the Senator was running for Governor.
According to the Senator, Mrs. Trump invited two butlers from the White House who had served during both Bush presidencies to the services. They flew on the First Lady’s plane with her and Senator Collins.
Former Senator Olympia Snowe, and her husband, former Governor John McKernan also attended the services, as well as Ken Raynor, the golf pro at the Cape Arundel Golf Club and friend of the Bush family. Maine Medical Center president and CEO Rich Petersen flew in, as well as Reverend Dr. Peter Cheney, a clergy member at St. Ann’s Church in Kennebunkport, where the Bush family attends services while in Maine. Reverend Cheney was one of the Celebrants at the funeral, and delivered a prayer.
In honor of his wife of 73 years, President Bush sported a pair of unique socks – a tradition of his – decorated with books, recognizing the commitment of Mrs. Bush to literacy.
The socks worn by the 41st President of the United States of America at today’s funeral for former First Lady Barbara Bush. pic.twitter.com/12libHt1Jv
After the services at St. Martin’s, the Bush family traveled by motorcade about 90 minutes north to the burial site on the grounds of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.
Coincidentally, that night was the annual tradition, “Aggie Muster,” where current students, faculty, staff, and alumni gather in Reed Arena to remember the lives of former students lost over the past year. When a name is called out, a person or people representing the deceased announce, “Here.”
For the country, Mrs. Bush’s passing is a loss, but her legacy of public service and genuine authenticity is strong.
“There was no air about her,” said Carolyn King, a Houstonian paying her respects to Mrs. Bush on Friday.
The former First Lady did not cling to her title.
“Barbara,” she would tell people. “Call me Barbara.”
