Family, colleagues, dignitaries eulogize true American hero , John Glenn

COLUMBUS

Astronaut, Marine and U.S. Sen. John Glenn was remembered Saturday for his public service, his humility, his pioneering spirit and his dedication to his country, his state and his wife of more than seven decades, Annie.

“I think John defined what it meant to be an American…,” said Vice President Joe Biden, one of 2,500 dignitaries, family members, friends and citizens who attended the public funeral service on the campus of Ohio State University. “… The thing that I liked most about John was he knew from his upbringing that ordinary Americans could do extraordinary things … If we’re looking for a message to send about our time on earth and what it means to be an American, it’s the life of John Glenn, and that is not hyperbole.”

Glenn lay in repose at the Statehouse on Friday, and thousands of visitors paid their last respects before his flag-draped casket in the Rotunda, including Democratic U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

A solemn funeral procession through the center of the capital city carried his casket past more mourners willing to withstand cold and ice.

Ethel Kennedy, widow of close Glenn ally Robert F. Kennedy, and their son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., were among the mourners present, along with Ohio political leaders including Gov. John Kasich and former Govs. Ted Strickland and Richard Celeste.

A platoon of U.S. Marines escorted the hearse.

Read more about the funeral and remarks from family in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.