Posted on 12/24/2008 9:16:06 AM PST by BP2
Ceremonies are held at a small church and the Halona BlowholeSTORY SUMMARY | READ THE FULL STORY
For President-elect Barack Obama and his family, yesterday was a day of remembrance.
Pool reporters following Obama were kept away as he and a group of friends and family members held a private memorial service in Nuuanu for his grandmother Madelyn Payne Dunham, who raised him here in Hawaii.
Afterward, Obama and his family scattered Dunham’s ashes off a windy Lanai Lookout.— Gene Park
FULL STORY >>
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 24, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama yesterday formally mourned the death of his grandmother, who helped raise him when he was growing up in Hawaii.
![[Preview]](http://media.starbulletin.com/images/video_front.gif)
Obama Family, Friends Attend Service For Grandmother![[Preview]](http://media.starbulletin.com/images/20081224_Obama--Dunham-Service.jpg)
A private service was held this afternoon in Nuuau this afternoon for Obama's late grandmother Madelyn Dunham.
[ Watch ]
Obama did not speak to reporters at the small home that had been converted into the First Unitarian Church in Nuuanu. Aides said Obama's half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and her husband, Konrad Ng, also were present.
From the church at one point came the strains of "Wind Beneath My Wings," a song made popular by Hawaii-born vocalist Bette Midler.
In a written statement earlier this week, Soetoro-Ng said the memorial was held so Obama could "grieve and emotionally process the great loss."
"In recent weeks, I have had an opportunity to mourn our grandmother's passing. However, Barack has not," she said in the statement released when Obama arrived Saturday. "I also hope that Barack has an opportunity to wash off his stress in salt water and re-energize for the long road ahead."
Obama arrived at the church at 1:55 p.m.
At 2:58 p.m., his motorcade left the church toward the Lanai Lookout near the Halona Blowhole, the area where Obama scattered the ashes of his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who died in 1995.
Preparation for Obama's arrival began as early as 1 p.m., when Secret Service agents arrived to survey the area. Police and emergency teams were posted at the nearby Koko Head Shooting Range.
The lookout was closed off by traffic cones and sport utility vehicles as the public and the Star-Bulletin were ushered out by 2:15 p.m.
At 3:27 p.m., the motorcade arrived at the lookout. Obama, casually dressed and wearing sunglasses, and about 20 members of his family climbed over a stone wall and down onto rocky ledges to scatter his grandmother's ashes. The sun was out and the wind was strong.
Obama earlier this year left flowers at the same spot in memory of his mother.
The motorcade left at 3:47 p.m.
Obama started the day with his usual workout at the Semper Fit Center on the Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe. When he left the center, Obama greeted several dozen Marines and their families in the parking lot.
He and his wife, Michelle, met with the group for about three minutes. The press pool was held too far away to hear any of the conversation.
As he left, Obama called out, "See you guys."
Yeah, I am sure they had such a close family. Did anyone ever see any picture of Obama’s daughters with grannie? I mean them being so close and all? Or even a recent picture of Barry with her?
Do you really think Michele would allow that WHITE woman near her or her kiddies?
LOL!
Golly, is that old SERPENTHEAD himself over Obamessiah’s right shoulder???
She (granny) had no use for him. That’s why the most recent photograph of the two is 25 years old. Toots was hip to his tricks
Granny counted the minutes whenever 0 visited and he always visited solo. No wife and children. No family photos that a Presidential campaign would have loved to hand out to show racial harmony. You saw all the 0 photos with his African tribe
0= fraud fake phony false messiah
I thought Barry Soreto was coking again.
Sure looks like Carville
Umm...he's mulatto, or is that verboten?
Her last words were “President Obama over my dead body”
“First Unitarian Church in Nuuanu”
But I thought that Obambi told us he was raised as a Christian by his agnostic mother and non-observant muslim fathers. Even his grandparents were non-observant Christians.
His father was African. His mother was American (sort of).
Gassy.
Well, I guess we'll have to settle for first "chocolate" POTUS a la Nagin, lol
No Big Lebowski moment?
Is this true?
Respect delayed is respect denied.
You won’t find any more recent photos than this one that is 25 years old.
And his daughters did not get to spend time with her in the summer sun splash (where Obama worked on his tan for the nomination broadcast, you can see his tan lines in the photos when he’s on the beach) nor when he made the election eve visit to her bedside.
It has supposedly been almost 2 months! I say supposedly because nobody really knows when grandma died. It wasn’t reported by anyone but Obama’s campaign. MYSTERY MAN! and very very creepy
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.