Former President George W. Bush’s voice quavered and broke, his eyes welling up with tears, as he came to the conclusion of a highly personal tribute in which he described his late father as “the best father a son or daughter could ever have.”
While others gave testament to the elder Bush's qualities as a politician and national leader, his eldest child focused on recalling his personal attributes.
“The horizons he saw were bright and hopeful,” Bush said.
He talked about his father’s devotion to his mother — how he would hold former First Lady Barbara Bush’s hand while they watched police dramas on television in their later years — and how he prayed daily for the daughter who died decades ago.
The elder Bush loved jokes — "most of ‘em off color" — his son said. “He could tease and needle but never out of malice.”
At the end, love was on his mind.
The younger Bush said he called his father shortly before his death and was told the 41st president might be able to hear him but hadn’t said anything for awhile.
“Dad,” the younger Bush recalled saying, “I love you...you’ve been a wonderful father.”
“I love you, too,” the father replied — his final words.
