Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush pause in front of the flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state in the Capitol’s Rotunda in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP)
The news that George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, had died at 94 on Friday set off a flurry of commemorations and remembrances from family, friends, colleagues and strangers throughout the world who were touched by his life.
George W. Bush, his son and the country’s 43rd president, released a statement on behalf of his siblings and the entire Bush family.
Sully, a yellow Labrador service dog for former President George H. W. Bush, sits near the casket of the late former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, December 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” he said. “George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.”
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump also said they joined the nation in grieving for Bush. They said he “always found a way to set the bar higher” and guided the nation with “sound judgement, common sense, and unflappable leadership.”
“Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service — to be, in his words, ‘a thousand points of light’ illuminating the greatness, hope, and opportunity of America to the world,” the Trumps wrote.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pay their respects in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda where former U.S. President George H.W. Bush lies in state Dec. 3, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence released a statement saying Bush left the world more peaceful, prosperous and secure.
“Karen and I were saddened to learn of the passing of President George H.W. Bush and we send our deepest sympathies to the entire Bush family. President Bush loved his family, loved this country and his legacy will be a lifetime of service to the United States of America,” they wrote.
And the fond remembrances of Bush’s strong character and selflessness were by no means limited to one side of the aisle. Barack Obama, the nation’s 44th president, called Bush “a patriot and humble servant” whose death leaves Americans with heavy hearts that are filled with gratitude. In a statement, Obama said that Bush’s legacy of service may never be matched but he would want everyone to try.
Former Senator Bob Dole salutes before the flag-draped coffin of former President George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol rotunda December 4, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images)
“George H.W. Bush’s life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling,” Obama said. “And he did tremendous good along the journey. Expanding America’s promise to new immigrants and people with disabilities. Reducing the scourge of nuclear weapons and building a broad international coalition to expel a dictator from Kuwait. And when democratic revolutions bloomed across Eastern Europe, it was his steady, diplomatic hand that made possible an achievement once thought anything but — ending the Cold War without firing a shot.”
The body of the former president was transported to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Mourners lined up to pay their respects. The American flag-draped casket will remain in the Capitol Rotunda until the state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday.
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Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, third from left, leads former Operation Desert Storm commanders as they pay their last respects to former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
People wait in line to pay respects as the remains of former President George H. W. Bush lie in state in the U,S, Capitol’s rotunda, Dec. 4, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Family members stand at the flag-draped casket of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush as it lies in state inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington,D.C., Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo: Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
Sully, a yellow Labrador service dog for former President George H. W. Bush, sits near the casket of the late former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, December 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Former President George H. W. Bush lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI) (R) shakes hands with former US President George W. Bush as the late former President George H.W. Bush lies in state inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol, December 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Pool via Reuters)
Palebearers carry the casket of Former President George H. W. Bush into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Washington. (Photo: Morry Gash/Pool via AP)
Former Vice President Dan Quayle, former Secretary of State James Baker, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell arrive at the Capitol in Washington to attend services of former President George H.W. Bush, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool via Reuters)
The casket of former President George H.W. Bush arrives to lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on December 3, 20018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)
The casket carrying former president George Herbert Walker Bush is carried up the steps of the US Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 3, 2018. (Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times/Pool via Getty Images)
Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush boards the plane after the casket of his father, former President George H.W. Bush, was placed on the plane during a departure ceremony at Ellington Field Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Houston. (Photo: David J. Phillip, Pool/AP)
Members of the military carry the casket to Special Air Mission 41at Ellington Field during a departure ceremony for a state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Houston. (Photo: Eric Gay/AP)
The flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush is carried by a joint services military honor guard to Special Air Mission 41 at Ellington Field during a departure ceremony Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Houston. (Photo: David J. Phillip, Pool/AP)
Pallbearers carry president George H.W. Bush’s casket out of the George H. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home during the first departure ceremony for the State Funeral Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Houston. ( Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez / Houston Chronicle via AP)
Sully, the service dog of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush in his final months, lays in front of Bush’s casket at the George H. Lewis & Sons funeral home in Houston, Texas, U.S., December 3, 2018. (Photo: Courtesy Office of George H. W. Bush-Evan Sisley/Handout via Reuters)
The sun rises behind Special Air Mission 41, the plane that will transfer the casket of former President George H.W. Bush to Washington,D.C., Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Houston. (Photo: Eric Gay/AP)
Mourners from the previous night laid flowers at the statue of former President George H.W. Bush outside the Bush Presidential Library and Museum, a day after the 41st president of the United States died, in College Station, Texas, Dec. 1. (Photo: Sergio Flores/Reuters)
With a misty U.S. Capitol in the distance, the American flags surrounding the Washington Monument fly at half-staff on Dec. 1 in Washington, after President Trump directed that flags be flown at half-staff for 30 days to honor the memory of former President George H.W. Bush. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
People view a portrait of President George H.W. Bush at the National Portrait Gallery on Dec. 1, in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Oliver Contreras/for the Washington Post via Getty Images)
The U.S. flag flies at half-staff in front of the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol in tribute to former President George H.W. Bush, early on Dec. 2. (Photo: Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images)
A heart ornament placed in tribute to former President George H.W. Bush hangs off a hand at the Bush monument in Houston on Dec. 1. (Photo: Thomas B. Shea/AFP/Getty Images)
Andrew Lopez, 12, of Midland, Texas, sits next to a statue of George H.W. Bush inside the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Dec. 1, in College Station, Texas. (Photo: David J. Phillip/AP)
A wreath with a note to former President George H. W. Bush lay at a makeshift memorial across from Walker’s Point, the Bush summer home, on Dec. 1, in Kennebunkport, Maine. (Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
The American flag flies at half-mast at Walker’s Point, the summer home of former President George H. W. Bush, on Dec. 1, in Kennebunkport, Maine. (Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Flowers and mementoes lie near a plaque honoring former President George H. W. Bush at a makeshift memorial across from Walker’s Point, the Bush summer home, on Dec. 1, in Kennebunkport, Maine. (Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Logan Davidson, right, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Recruit Gabriel Gonzalez, conduct morning colors on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Dec. 1. The flag was flown at half-mast to honor the 41st president, the ship’s namesake, who died on Friday. The ship is in port in Norfolk, Va., conducting routine training exercises to maintain carrier readiness. (Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary P. Wickline/U.S. Navy via AP)
Kuwait’s Towers in Kuwait City are illuminated in the colors of the American flag and a portrait of former President George H.W. Bush on Dec. 1, in tribute to the late U.S. leader. (Photo: Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP/Getty Images)
The U.S. flag flies at half-staff at the World War II Memorial in tribute to former President George H. W. Bush, on Dec. 1, in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
The U.S. flag flies at half-staff in front of the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol in tribute to former President George H.W. Bush, early on Dec. 2. (Photo: Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images)
The American flag files at half-staff at the White House on Dec. 1. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Streven Grimes, who served in the Gulf War 1990-91 and in the military from 1975 to 2007, salutes in tribute to former President George H. W. Bush, at the makeshift memorial formed outside the Bush home in Houston on Dec. 1. (Photo: Thomas B. Shea/AFP/Getty Images)
People hold a vigil on the campus of Texas A&M University outside the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center on Dec. 1, in College Station, Texas. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
