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Barbara Bush has been remembered as the "first lady of the greatest generation" at her funeral, which was attended by four former US presidents and hundreds of other people who filled the church with laughter as much as tears, with many recalling her quick wit and devotion to family.
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush joked his mother — wife of the 41st US president and mother of the 43rd — called her style of mothering him and his siblings "a benevolent dictatorship — but honestly, it wasn't always benevolent".
He emphasised how she believed in the power of laughter and that joy should be shared.
He said he could still feel her presence inside the nation's largest Episcopal church and she would likely have given him advice on his eulogy: "Jeb, keep it short. Don't drag this out," he said to chuckles.
He met her expectations with a speech lasting about seven minutes, addressing about 1,500 people seated inside the St Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, where his parents regularly worshipped.
He choked up at one point when saying his mother — who was known for her self-deprecating remarks about her wrinkles and grey hair — was "beautiful" until the very end.
He said he felt privileged that he had a "front row" seat to the incredible love story shared by his mother and father, former president George HW Bush, who laughed as longtime friends and family recalled his wife's wicked sense of humour during the almost-two-hour service.
After he spoke, Jeb Bush walked over to his father, and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
Presidential historian Jon Meacham, who wrote a 2015 biography on the former president, recalled Barbara Bush's devotion to her husband of 73 years, noting her husband was the "only boy she ever kissed".
Theirs was the longest marriage of any other presidential couple.
'The secret sauce of this extraordinary family'
One of just two first ladies to have a child elected president, Mrs Bush was widely admired for her plainspoken style and was known as the "enforcer" in her family — the glue who kept the high-powered clan together.
Mr Meacham said it was Mrs Bush's quick tongue that made her so popular, along with her work promoting literacy and bringing awareness to AIDS patients.
"Barbara Bush was the first lady of the greatest generation," Mr Meacham said during his eulogy.
A eulogy was also given by Mrs Bush's longtime friend Susan Baker, wife of former secretary of state James A Baker III, who said she was "the secret sauce of this extraordinary family".
The couple's family — including their five children, 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren — played a prominent role in the service.
Granddaughters offered readings, with some of their voices shaky with emotion, while their eight grandsons were pallbearers.
The Bush family was seated in the front of the church.
Nearby, two other former presidents — Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — along with their wives and current First Lady Melania Trump were seated in the same pew.
President Donald Trump did not attend to avoid security disruptions and "out of respect for the Bush family and friends attending the service", according to the White House. He said his thoughts were with the family.
Mrs Trump issued a statement after the funeral saying it was an honour to give her respects to a "fearless" first lady, adding: "Today the world paid tribute to a woman of indisputable character and grace."
The invitation-only service was also attended by former ambassadors, members of Congress, sports stars and Houston business owners.
Barbara Bush to be buried near daughter's grave
As the funeral ended, George HW Bush was pushed in his wheelchair by his son George W Bush as they followed the casket out of the church's cavernous sanctuary, which had been adorned with sprays of yellow garden roses, yellow snap dragons and antique hydrangeas.
They stopped along the way to shake hands, as mourners sang Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, which Mrs Bush had requested as the final song.
She died on Tuesday, with her husband by her side, at their home in Houston. She was 92.
The burial will be held at her husband's presidential library at Texas A&M University.
Hundreds of people lined both sides of the street near the campus ahead of the service.
The burial site is in a gated plot surrounded by trees and near a creek where the couple's three-year-old daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia in 1953, is buried.
AP
Topics: world-politics, human-interest, united-states
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