Barbara Bush remembered at funeral in Houston

Former US First Lady Barbara Bush — whose husband George H.W. Bush and son George W. Bush were both US presidents — was laid to rest in College Station, Texas on Saturday on the grounds of the George H.W. Bush Library at Texas A&M University.

She died Tuesday at the age of 92 after a long period of declining health. She was buried next to her daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at the age of three in 1953.

Bush's funeral was held in Houston, at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, which the family have been members of since the Bushes moved to Texas in 1949.

Her granddaughters delivered readings during the service and her grandsons served as pallbearers before their grandmother's casket was wheeled out of the church.

Among the mourners were former presidents and first ladies such as Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and current First Lady Melania Trump.

'Beautiful' until the end

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush delivered a eulogy at his mother's funeral, and joked about how she had called her style of mothering him and his siblings "a benevolent dictatorship — but honestly it wasn't always benevolent."

He said that one of the most important lessons she taught him and others was the power of laughter and that joy should be shared.

Bush teared up at one point during the eulogy, saying his mother, who was known for her self-deprecating remarks about her wrinkles and gray hair, was "beautiful" until the very end.

He said he felt privileged that he had a "front-row" seat to the great love story that his parents shared.

Bush said he could feel his mother's presence in the church and that she would likely have given him advice: "Jeb, keep it short. Don't drag this out."

A long love story

Bush met former President George H.W. Bush when she was 16 at a dance, and the pair married shortly after his return from fighting in World War II. They were married for 73 years, making it the longest marriage of any presidential couple.

Presidential historian Jon Meacham during his eulogy spoke of Barbara Bush’s devotion to her husband, saying he was the "only boy she ever kissed."

"Barbara Bush was the first lady of the Greatest Generation," Meacham went on

During her time as first lady, Barbara Bush was extremely popular with the public. During that time, she founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, which she chaired until 2012.

Members of the public had been allowed to pay their respects as Bush lay in repose at St. Martin's on Friday.

es, law/ng (AP, Reuters)