Posted on 12/27/2006 4:13:20 PM PST by kristinn
Funeral events will begin Friday when the casket, accompanied by Mrs. Ford and family members, will arrive at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert.
A private prayer service for family will be held, followed by visitation for invited friends before a public viewing begins about 4:20 p.m. PST.
On Saturday, the casket will be taken from St. Margaret's at 9 a.m. PST to Palm Springs International Airport, where it will depart at 10 a.m. PST for Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
On arrival, a motorcade will take the casket to Washington, D.C., stopping en route for a ceremony at the World War II Memorial, before reaching the Capitol for a state funeral in the rotunda.
A period of lying in state will begin after the funeral. Public viewing will continue on Sunday and New Year's Day.
On Jan. 2, the casket will be moved to outside the chamber of the U.S. Senate for a period of repose and then will be taken to the National Cathedral for a funeral.
The casket will then be taken to Andrews Air Force Base and flown to Grand Rapids, Mich., where it will be taken to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum for a service and public viewing.
On Jan. 3, the casket will be taken to Grace Church in Grand Rapids for an afternoon funeral service. It will then be returned to the presidential museum for interment on the north grounds.
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An official website has been established in tribute to President Ford: GeraldFordMemorial.com
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
We're organizing a gathering point on Saturday afternoon for the procession in D.C. Like Appy Pappy, I'm sure most of us would like to witness the ceremonial stop at the World War II Memorial. I'll post a time and location where we can gather near there as soon as details are announced.
We're organizing a gathering point on Saturday afternoon for the procession in D.C. Like Appy Pappy, I'm sure most of us would like to witness the ceremonial stop at the World War II Memorial. I'll post a time and location where we can gather near there as soon as details are announced.
Going to be hard to do that when according to Fox earlier this evening, Rummy will be giving one of the eulogies.
Oh, they'll try it alright....http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1759160/posts
I wish I could come, but I'm between night shifts on Saturday. RIP, Gerald Ford.
When Bill and Hill pass on, dos Chelsea get the white house furniture and the FBI files? Just curious...
Eagle Scouts from all over the US are supposed to gather at an appointed place in Grand Rapids for a special salute to the funeral procession.
All I saw was the street sign for the intersection and can't remember the name of the second street, but one of them was Front Street.
I was 23 before I could vote in a presidential, or any major election, and Nixon was my first, Ford my 2nd. My TX gov candidate lost, but not by much - the next time around, we did get a Pubbie in.
I'm sure I must have met Gerald Ford at some point in time, but I can't recall when or where, except I think it was in Dallas. I know exactly where I met Betty Ford - in Vail, in a Christmas shop, with only the two of us there.
Having a conversation with her, totally out of the context of former First Lady, I didn't know who she was. We both wanted the same ski chalet Christmas ornaments on display.
It wasn't until I left the store and my dad told me he couldn't come in and get me because the Secret Service wouldn't let anyone else in (just me!) that I realized who she was - and why it was so ironic that she had commented on my neck brace (from a car accident) and asked me what they had given me. I told her valium and she said to be careful with it!
God bless the Ford family and my heartfelt condolences to them. Nice people.
hope to see you in May !
God bless President Ford, a good family man, a good American, a fine veteran and, despite how the media portrayed him, a great athlete.
Thanks for the information. I hope all of these Woodward whispers are not true.
but Ford got the last laugh!
He lived a long and wonderful life with the woman he loved who also loves him .. how many in the press (or the general public for that matter) can say the same?
Is there anyone more pathetic than Carl "My Scandal Was Better Than Your Scandal" Bernstein? Disgraced Dan Rather? Senile Walter "He ain't MY uncle" Cronkite ?
Ford goes to his Maker having lived a full, productive life, with apologies to no man.
(glad you're back, Tator)
Have a look at tonight's Dose. It's so wonderful, but have a kleenex handy.
I can't think of a greater American to deliver an eugoly than Donald Rumsfeld. RIP President Ford.
Take your rest, Pres. Ford. Prayers for Betty and the children.
Wasn't that wonderful? I believe WOOD has begun podcasting local shows. I am going to check that out. It was absolutely moving.
Becki
Thanks for posting this, Kristinn. I'll just be getting home from vacation on Friday, and from the looks of the post, nothing will be on TV for Friday. I'll be setting up my DVD-Recorder to capture as much as I can, especially the tributes from Secretary Rumsfeld, Vice President Cheney, and both Presidents Bush.
He deserves a state funeral. You served well Gerald Ford.
My "sob" moment was during the brief service at the Capitol Rotunda during the tributes for President Reagan. For some reason, I lost it when then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said in his remarks, "It is altogether fitting and proper that we do this." (quoting President Lincoln at Gettysburg).
The other poignant moment from the time of President Reagan's death was listening to the Tammy Bruce radio program. She was scheduled to do her show that day anyway (4pm PST), and home base for her show is Los Angeles (790 KABC), not too far from the President's home. Los Angeles was also where she was a chapter head for NOW, before she had a change of heart. She was feeling bad about how she originally treated the President, and in the course of her first segment, she read the farewell letter that RWR wrote in 1994, announcing that he had Alzheimer's disease, and was in the twilight of his life.
When she got toward the end, Ms. Bruce was noticeably shaken, stopped to compose herself, tried to continue, and then broke down crying...not uncontrollably, but I could tell that it was genuine. She finished the letter after a commercial break, though she needed the break to pull together. And that was on the day he died.
May God bless the hearts of their families.
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