Public Pays Last Respects to Pat Nixon

YORBA LINDA — The Nixon family arrived Friday to be present when former First Lady Pat Nixon is buried this morning among the roses, irises, herbs and perennials that she had planted on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace.

Although the private funeral service will be confined to about 250 relatives and friends, the public had an opportunity Friday to pay last respects to Mrs. Nixon, who died Tuesday of lung cancer after a long illness. She was 81.

More than 200 people quietly lined up in 80-degree heat outside the library as the Nixons, preceded by a California Highway Patrol motorcycle procession, arrived in two limousines. Former President Richard Nixon emerged and greeted the Rev. Billy Graham, a family friend.

The two men and family members solemnly walked behind a Marine color guard that carried Mrs. Nixon’s coffin into the library’s lobby, where the public later paid its respects to a woman who displayed grace and dignity under the pressure of public life.

After 20 minutes in the lobby, the Nixons returned to the limousines and left. The former chief executive waved to the gathering but said nothing.

The first woman waiting in line to pay her respects was Deanna Douglass Fletcher, a 25-year resident of Yorba Linda. “I respected Pat Nixon very much for being a role model as a mother, grandmother and symbol of the United States. She supported her husband through difficult times,” said Fletcher, expressing a sentiment shared by others who were waiting.

Mrs. Nixon’s body was brought to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station on the same Air Force One plane that Nixon used during his term in the White House. President Clinton authorized its use for the occasion.

Plans for the memorial service were completed Friday. The guest list includes former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald R. Ford and their wives. George and Barbara Bush will not attend because of the death of Barbara Bush’s brother.

Four eulogies will be delivered--by Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), Gov. Pete Wilson, former Nixon aide James (Don) Hughes, and family friend Cynthia Milligan, daughter of Clifford Hardin, who was Nixon’s secretary of agriculture.

Members of the Chapman University Choir and the Master Chorale of Orange County have been asked to perform six pieces, including “My Country ‘tis of Thee” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a Rodgers and Hammerstein song requested by Julie Eisenhower.

The service will take place on a grassy patch in the outdoor amphitheater next to Nixon’s boyhood home. Mrs. Nixon will be buried on a small plot next to her garden, which contains five varieties of roses. Richard Nixon has a burial plot beside her.

The 1 p.m. burial will be attended by relatives only. After the service, which is scheduled to last 75 minutes, a small reception will be held inside the museum.

Mourning a First Lady

Former First Lady Pat Nixon, who died Tuesday, will be buried at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace today. The service will be limited to 250 invited guests.

Today

Service: For family and friends only, 10 a.m. in outside amphitheater.

Officiant: the Rev. Billy Graham

Eulogists: Gov. Pete Wilson, U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, former Nixon aide James D. (Don) Hughes, family friend Cynthia Hardin Milligan

Interment: Service for family only at 1 p.m.

Library Burials

Mrs. Nixon is the sixth First Lady to be buried at a presidential library. The other five are:

Mamie Doud Eisenhower

Born: 1896

Died: 1979

Buried: Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, Kan.

Lucy Webb Hayes

Born: 1831

Died: 1889

Buried: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont, Ohio

Lou Henry Hoover

Born: 1874

Died: 1944

Buried: Herbert Hoover Library, West Branch, Iowa

Eleanor Roosevelt

Born: 1884

Died: 1962

Buried: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.

Elizabeth (Bess) Wallace Truman

Born: 1885

Died: 1982

Buried: Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, Mo.

Sources: Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace, World Book Encyclopedia

Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times