George HW Bush Funeral Proceedings Announced
Funeral proceedings begin today for former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on November 30 at the age of 94. It’s going to be a week of memorials, tributes, and tokens of appreciation to the man who was the 41st president of the United States of America.
On Monday, there will be an arrival ceremony for H.W. Bush’s casket. It will later be interred at a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral, according to Business Insider. The casket will be presented in the Capitol Rutunda until Wednesday, so visitors can come pay their respects.
The main event will take place on Wednesday, however, when the former president is finally laid to rest. It’s safe to say that the funeral will be packed with friends, family, and famous mourners all looking to pay homage to H.W. Bush. Son George W. Bush will give a eulogy at the funeral, alongside longtime friends such as former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson, and H.W. Bush’s biographer, Jon Meacham.
Afterwards, former President H.W. Bush will be taken to St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston until Thursday morning. On Thursday, a second memorial service is scheduled to take place. Finally, the late president will be buried at George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. He will most likely be laid to rest alongside his beloved wife Barbara, who passed away in April of this year.
George HW Bush's service dog to accompany his casket to DC: report https://t.co/V92irVro11 pic.twitter.com/PcZtB3WHgF
— The Hill (@thehill) December 3, 2018
President Donald Trump is not scheduled to speak at the funeral or any memorial events, although he will be attending services. However, he did announce that Wednesday, December 5, would be an official day of mourning to honor the lasting legacy of George H.W. Bush.
The ceremony is a very special and rare event — the last time the public witnessed a presidential funeral was back in 2006, when Gerald Ford passed away. There have only been four such funerals in the past three decades. State funerals are traditionally between seven and 10 days long, and consist of three specific parts.
In the first part, ceremonies take place in the location that the president or former president lived. The second part takes place in Washington DC, while the third set of ceremonies occurs where the person will be interred.
Outpourings of support, love, and honor have come from across the entire world for George H.W. Bush and his family. All former and current presidents have sent condolences, and politicians and political leaders — even those on opposite ends of the political spectrum — are joining together to remember the life and legacy of George H.W. Bush.
