as a teenager cutting pipes. he was really proud to be hyped --pipe cutter. there are more memories from lifeperiod of his early with us. as a little kid, he would load some rhubarb from his family's rhubarb patch and sell them to neighbors. he liked to do the same thing with cabbage. he had a paper route and he played the trumpet. andrandmother loved poetry she hahim learn homes -- poems that he would recite until the

end of his life. -- feelstories you like gifts that he left us. d science and as a kid i remember him drawing me diagrams about the lift that allows an airplane to fly. -- the space program was a big passion. explained to me all the details of the mercury mission. starsntified a lot of while he worked at nasa and he

talked about the names with us. inas in my middle 20's back ,971, went to visit my parents hair all around my shoulders, bill bottoms, the whole thing -- bell bottoms, the whole thing. i have not seen them in a while. or his he blinked twice face twitched or something of that sort. that was it. froms only five years being a retired colonel in the marine corps. it was clear he accepted me as i was. he really gave me freedom to find my way in life. lesson and to make my own mistakes.

he loved being outdoors, especially in the colorado rockies. he loved taking his jeep of really crummy back roads and bouncing around four hours -- for hours. it thatof us enjoyed much. once we were sitting at a lake in wyoming and to trumpeter and they made ripples on the water with every wing be -- with every eat. that is a precious memory to me. avid jogger.

he loved to ski. skied -- the he last time he skied he was about 85 and he made the best turns i have ever seen. arthritis in some one of his knees and he had to give it up after that. one of our most beloved traditions was to gather in the mountains during christmas time and drive out into the national forest and find a christmas tree. we builthad the tree, a fire with the careful

instructions of creating little chimneys, i heard that a thousand times, for the flames to follow. before long we had a roaring fire. sometimes it wasn't much above the zero -- wasn't much above zero. another thing he loved was having a barbecue pit. rum onhot buttered special occasion, corn on the copy jerking with butter -- corn jerking -- dripping with butter. absolutely everything. how to drive as

lawnmower. whiched round tables, brings everyone into the conversation. he loved hummingbirds. he and my mom loved to travel. was 93,was 92 and mom they decided to go on a huge road trip. all we knew was they were heading west. a few days after starting this trip, they called up to say hello and said they were sitting in their car which was loaded onto a flatbed aaa truk. -- aaa truck. they had had a flat tire and their car was being transported off to the town 25 miles away.

they were somewhere in the texas panhandle and it was when hundred five-106 degrees. -106 degrees. they were sitting in their car and they could have the air-conditioning on the whole time. they got the tire fixed and they continued on. this was 2013. , they calledtrip us again and they just finished a hike using hiking sticks. they called up again from a little town in colorado where they were sitting in a restaurant and there was a freak thunderstorm that had caused a flash flood. end to adventure,

right mom? i could go on. he cared not only about his family and friends, but other people. he treated everyone, type drivers -- cabdrivers two presidents with the same amount of respect and interest. nothing was more important to him than having been in a band of others -- brothers. corps withe marine people who are more worried about their own brothers then losing their own lives.

years, he lost a whole group of friends, some in combat and some in accidents. i will finish with one very recent memory. my wife and i were visiting my parents back in october. we had just finished eating dinner and we were sitting at the dinner table and there condo we got on the armstrong.neil he described neil sitting down at his 80th birthday party and playing september song on the pmo and singing that song. and then sitting there at the , my father began --quietly ring and my father

my father began to quietly sing singingelt like he was to everyone in his wife -- life that he cared about. when the autumn weather turns leaves to flame, no one has a time for the waiting game. these few precious days i will spend with you. these precious days i will spend with you.

>> like my brother said, we are so grateful that all of you are here. planning and i were this time for our father, what we wanted was there to be friends. the people who really knew him. heare that you are able to that president drake, charlie, , that these people are our friends. they had known dad in all the different parts of his life. and mr. golden.

and someone has been mentioned a couple of times. our lives were intertwined with a wonderful family, the kennedy family. wanted to and robert come today, it had tremendous meaning for us. thank you, thank you ethel and bobby. those memories are beyond heart ache and joy. thank you so much for being here for dad and mother. i would also be remiss if i k, and dad -- than died nine days ago, and during that period of time there had

people toup of celebrate him who knew him well and made this day possible. we were going to the body,l home to see dad's i knew i wanted to write something to put in the casket. i started writing my letter to -- as i wrote it, i realized i was actually writing what i wanted to say to all of you. started, soletter i you will hear me refer to him as my father. many people have mentioned

february 20, 1962. have come up to me and say, what is it like to have a hero for a father and for the first time -- and from the first hat, i thoughted t about it and said, he is just my dad. you have beenyou have been my td and assist -- my nemesis. partners and my source. you taught me how to tie a necktie and slide a car on ice.

you recommended i memorize my social security number and i learned that westerns are the highest form of entertainment. mother married, you told her, i can't promise you much, but i can promise life boring.ing -- won't be in ouralways repeated family, what have you done for your country today. that ourteaching me country is more important than any individual and we are stronger if we both do our part. , as an eight year old, i wanted a little more that a girl

and a little less god bless america. [laughter] >> in your heart your main ace -- you remained a small town boy. of a small-town plumber, you cap one of the grandpas your deskwrenches on to remind you where you came from. aturally shy, you often wore ball cap so you wouldn't be recognized, but your stability manners camety and

out when people would recognize you. refusece did i see you to sign an autograph. you were running for a vote on the senate floor and you asked the person to wait. they did and you signed the autograph on the way back to the office. another gesture you made was to pick up the buckeyes. in the the buckeyes waiting room of your office so visitors can take a little piece of ohio home with them. you never allowed anyone to use your pitcher to make money because you said it wouldn't be

right for a government employee to make money from government service. you al mills did offer million dollars to be on a wiki box.ox -- wheaties amounts an unimaginable of money for our family living on a marine pilots pay. you turned the offer down. you remained true to your small-town nature and your heart remained true to the values. this is to your very burial, dad. you chose a marine issued casket and you asked that marines carry

you to your grave antiwar marine wore marine you green to be buried in. i like that after taps is revelry" towant " be played because you said you will be waking up in a new dimension and he want to do it with a grin. you taught me more than how to tie a knot and to memorize my social security number, during the life you shared with mother, you were supportive of her. hen mother gave her very first speech, you did not go with her. you listened on a phone and

tried -- cried. you knew she had to stand alone and not in your shadow. you were an elder in the presbyterian church, but i understood more about practice watching how to -- watching how you lived your life. you were true to your word with a handshake. you gave it to the salvation army and lived with humility and gratitude. asked for your insight and guidance when i thought i had a good idea for an. -- for an investment. after we had talked, he said, how much is enough. in today's world your words quaint, but they

should be a standard of how much is enough. more naturally educated by your curiosity than any degree could the step. tow.ny degree could bes i learned that age is not just a number. meaningfull.ll and you so grateful that see that- lived to your legacy will endure. you flewyou are --

you wereh barron until 90. you renewed your pilots license , but macular degeneration caught up with you and took away your ability to see the sunset. andas heartbreaking for you heartbreaking for me. here we are at a funeral. people from around the world and all walks of life remember and honor you, dad. lifeived many lives in one with honesty, grace, and believe in our country.

and the honor of public service. i am proud and so grateful to say you are just my dad. thank you, dad. i love you. godspeed, dad. [applause] ♪ have been together ever since we were in junior high school. our parents used to kid us that we were in place tens together. together.ns ♪

there were things that i thought were important for the country and things she thought were important for the country too. we have been in this as a team together. ♪ >> by any measure, accomplishment, service, encourage, john glenn was a great man.

when i think of the john glenn, i think of a great man. my first taste of john glenn the 1968 in was on march 4, the madison theater in ohio. atonel glenn was the speaker a scout dinner. hero, shooknational hands with each one of us. john glenn, the most famous man of his generation, took pictures with us one at a time. he always made time for you no matter your station in life. 39 years later, former senator john glenn walked me down the aisle of the united date senate to be sworn in. and of course, like the eagle scouts of four days earlier, -- four decades earlier, every senator why to meet their american hero.

and he was kind to the senators too. i have been honored to see john glenn up close. every presidential year, ohio's most prominent democrat would board a bus and go with the presidential nominee campaign around ohio. withched him reconnect senator kerry in 2004 and with senator biden in 2008. time him for the first meet the young senator from illinois and the immediate connection that the american icon and the future president made. on one stop, a decade after his retirement in the senate, john glenn got off the bus, jumped over a ditch and shook the outstretched hand of an appreciative farmer. he was there in nonpresidential o.ars for ohio democrats to

a winnebago to campaign in ohio. as we traveled over the hills of his beloved southeast ohio, the rest of us began to get car sick. but of course not the 85-year-old astronaut, who simply smiled at us. statement --er statesman get off the bus and transfer some of his magic to us. who caredfdr democrat cared aboute and people with more enthusiasm than most in this room have.

he never forgot the terror he felt in his 11-year-old heart when he heard his parents --king about his parents hurt his parents talking about their home being foreclosed on. later wrote about how government can change people's lives for the better because of the new deal. john believed in an activist government and an active citizenship. he warned that cynicism and apathy were a threat to democracy itself. john's friend robert kennedy said that politics was a calling almost like the ministry. liked those john words.

the happiest and most fulfilled people i have known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than their own self interest. that drove john to activism in public service and drove him to create the glen college to inspire the next generation of engaged citizens. told earlier this week that the john glenn took such a joy in helping others and took such pride in his staff that even when you left, you were still family. ioan glenn was the only oh elected four times to the u.s. senate. anded nuclear proliferation cleanup of nuclear disposal sites.

he spent his time achieving lasting results that would leave the world better than he had found it. he helped create the independent watchdog we know as the inspectors general. he had the foresight to found the great lakes task force, which continues to play such an important role to protect the health of our great lake. the night before the anniversary colonelel glennslaunch launch, we had dinner. the valet pulled up in front of the restaurant with his cadillac. the 91-year-old astronaut jumped in the drivers seat and to the kids piled in the back. something suggested never change.

things just never change. in love. so she said, we wanted to get married in high school, but our parents wouldn't let us because they said it would never last. john had a way of making everyone around him feel important, from the teenage eagle scouts to the farmers in the field. by matthew 25,fe where jesus admonished his followers. john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man.

>> he is still handy that way, annie. >> four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately covered with admirers --mires admirers. ofad been on the trail random encounters with the john and annie. every encounter had a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted

to ask to john. john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. he said, how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? john smiled, well now, that is an interesting question. nodded and everyone in earshot gathered around for astronaut john glenn to talk about urination in space. after talking, he started making the rounds. i hugged john and thank him for treating our son with such respect. he said, why wouldn't i. ass have sincere questions

they need sincere answers. old and height years recently visited us and he said, i'm sorry you lost your friend, grandma. he was my friend too. n week ago we heard from lyn that our beloved friend was a dying. thank you for asking us for text messages that you could read to your father. in my message, i reminded john of that conversation he had with our grandson and i had lost count of the number of times i had shared that story as an illustration of what we gained when we engaged with civility. if american icon john glenn could take the time to treat a

child with such respect, then surely we could find ways to talk to one another. one of my most enduring memories of john involves his sense of the and timing -- his sense of empathy and timing. his opponent in the 2012 him a liar, he touched my shoulder to keep me in my seat. but notered, me too, now. john was a man who kept up with the times. he encouraged me to keep writing and sharing my opinion.

listen to me, he said in a stern voice, you are who you are and that is why we love you. annieueezed my hand -- squeezed my hand and said, never stopped speaking your mind. i will never forget how he turned and looked at annie. he said, listen to my annie, i always do. he listened to his wife. he loved his annie and he never stopped letting anyone know. stopped to visit martin sheen and they were excited to see each other. john glenn had recently won the presidential medal of freedom. when it was time to leave for a fundraising event, john held out his elbow for annie.

any had different ideas. martin said to annie, can i escort you? annie smiled at john and said, we will see you when you get there. john turned to me in mock horror and said, digital see that, she just jumped -- she just dumped me. he walked to the end of the hallway, fuming like a boyfriend. the last time we spent time with the john and annie was in their apartment in columbus. as soon as i sat down, john pointed to me and turned to any and said, she is sitting where hillary set. -- hillary sat. we talked about the presidential race and the future of our country. we also swapped tories with our

children and grandchildren -- we also swapped stories about children and grandchildren. as we made to leave, he shared with us in his voice that his time was running out. he said, eventually you need a new chassis. ride toquiet on that quiet ontor -- we were that ride in the elevator to the lobby. waslast time, john glenn leaving the way. -- leading the way. annie, i'm here as your friend and as a fellow political wife. how we have laughed over the years as that definition of who we are.

we married the men we love. annie.ew, once, over dinner, in a room packed with his admirers, i mentioned to john how inspiring your marriage is to me. he leaned in and with the softest i've said, oh, honey, i am who i am because of annie. we love you, annie. >> a little over 75 years ago,

annie caster was set to give her senior organ recital at mesquite college. on the way there, 20-year-old john glenn was listening to his car radio and learned of the bombing of pearl harbor. after the concert, the two of them set together and talk to. he told her about the attack and his plans to enlist. december 7, 1941, the pieces of their life came together and they mapped out there future -- mapped outthere -- their future. important piece of the music for her and her husband.

the choir will now seeing a -- will now seeing -- will now sing a song based on this tune, singlandia. [piano playing] [choir singing]

>> someone goes up to jesus and

asked him what is the most important thing? what matters the most? and jesus answers, love of god with everything and love your neighbor in the same way. throughout his life, john glenn never lost right of what mattered the most. -- he loved and served god and his neighbors. he saw the whole human family as his neighbor. that perspective, that way of seeing the world is very biblical. if you listen to the deep rhythms of the bible, you cannot

concern's overriding for the public good. mercifulng a just and society. of protecting the welfare of those most vulnerable. god has a special fondness of those willing to promote the good. people willing to do the hard, messy work of making our communities work better. of creating just laws in society. workis complicated, hard and i am not sure there is a higher or harder calling. throughout his adult life, gifts tolenn used his work towards that, good as a pilot, after not, and editor --

good as a pilot, astronaut and us.tor for far and a traveled so sword so high, he never left the rest of us behind. so high, he never left the rest of us behind. theird his wife about with and she said it is us. john glenn at a

young age and it took root. that connection shaped the trajectory of his life. giving him of the courage to dare greatly and the wisdom to live humbly. he knew, in life and in death, that he belonged to god. senator glenn did something that is rarely done. i'm not talking about any of the accomplishment that have been mentioned today. that fully and completely reflected his deepest values. his priorities were in his bloodstream. his values embedded in the synapses of his brain.

corinthiansthe passage of the family chose today is so appropriate. his life in bodies of those words. whatever it true, honorable, and just. whatever is pleasing and commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. keep on doing the things that you have learned and heard and .een in john glenn and the god of peace will be with you. , theradition i represent tradition in which john glenn was baptized and so shaped his life, makes it the claim that today, at this very moment, he is all right.

found.ot lost, but he is at this very moment, he is whole , complete, well. he is now cradled in the arms of love. him tight and god will never let him go. today we give thanks to god for the life and witness of john glenn. let us pray. god, our strength and our redeemer. giver of life and copper -- conq we give thanks for john glenn. we give thanks for all the way he shared his life with the world and stole our heart.

we celebrate his sense of wonder and how he met challenges with quiet joy. we give thanks for his deep commitment to his family and we remember his faithfulness to you. god of boundless compassion, be with all who are mourning. life,y for his cherished for his beloved children and family. be with all who are missing him this a day. nothing,ow that including death, can separate us from your love. give us such faith that by day and night, in all times and in all places, we may, without fear, trust those who are deal -- trust of those who are dear to us to your never failing love in this life and the life to

come. amen. our prayer continues as he choir asgs the lord's prayer -- the choir sings the lord's prayer. prayer.ings lord's -- [choir sings lord's prayer]

>> high flight. i have slipped the surly bonds of earth and have danced the skies on last her to -- dance the skies on silvered wings. i have the done a hundred things you have not dreamed of.

swung high in the sunlit silence. i flung my eager craft through halls of air. of easy the halls of -- where never lark lark or eagle flew. touched theand and face of god. let us pray. into your hands, merciful

savior, we commend to your hands your servant john. receive him into the arms of your mercy into the blessed rest of everlasting peace and the glorious company of the light. -- may the lord bruss the lord bless you and keep you, maybe lord be gracious to you and to look upon you with favor peace.nt you amen. as we renderse military honors and remain in place until the program is complete.

[horns play]

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