Barbara Bush funeral expected to draw 1,500 guests - Fox News ( source : Associated Press )

Barbara Bush funeral expected to draw 1,500 guests
Fox News

Mourners line up to pay respects to Barbara Bush
Former President George H.W. Bush greeted well-wishers at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston ahead of the former first lady's funeral on Saturday.

An invitation-only private funeral service wil be held Saturday in Houston for the late former first lady Barbara Bush, with first lady Melania Trump and former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and their wives expected among some 1,500 guests.

The funeral will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, followed by a burial at the President George H.W. Bush Library at Texas A&M University. St. Martin's is the nation’s largest Episcopal church.

Thousands of people on Friday paid respects to Barbara Bush, wife of the nation's 41st president and mother of the nation's 43rd. Bush died Tuesday at her Houston home. She was 92.


Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a son of the former first lady, will deliver a eulogy, the family said in a statement Friday.

Also speaking will be Barbara Bush’s longtime friend Susan Baker, wife of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, and historian Jon Meacham, who wrote a 2015 biography of former President George H.W. Bush.

The White House said in a statement that President Donald Trump will not attend the service “to avoid disruptions due to added security, and out of respect for the Bush Family and friends attending the service.”

The president has offered his sympathies, praising Barbara Bush as “a titan in American life.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.