Coachella Valley says goodbye to Betty Ford: Coachella Valley residents watch the motorcade carrying Betty Ford drive down Highway 111 to Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs.
Members of the public pay their respects to former first lady Betty Ford during the public viewing at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Wednesday, July 13, 2011 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Former first lady will be buried at the museum on Thursday next to her husband former President Gerald R. Ford. / (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Betty Ford returned Wednesday to the city where she grew up and wed the man who became the only president from Michigan.
Her departure this morning from the Coachella Valley, where the Fords lived since 1977, prompted many residents to line valley streets as they bid their final farewells.
Thousands of others in Grand Rapids, Mich., also lined the streets there this afternoon to pay their respects before the former first lady is laid to rest next to her husband.
Mourners gathered outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this afternoon where Betty Ford's body will lie in repose as part of a public viewing scheduled to last into the night.
After another memorial Thursday in Grand Rapids, she will be buried at her husband’s presidential museum. President Ford died in 2006.
“They’ve contributed so much,” said Steve Avink of nearby Jenison, Mich., who watched the ceremonies when Gerald Ford’s casket returned to Grand Rapids for burial in January 2007 and was at the airport Wednesday when Betty Ford’s casket arrived at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport from California.
He was there to show support for the family.
A private ceremony attended by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other dignitaries was held at the museum prior to the public viewing.
On Tuesday, a service at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert was attended by 800 people, including former President George W. Bush and first lady Michelle Obama.
Like hundreds of others in Michigan, Avink wanted to pay his respects. He praised Betty Ford’s “openness about drugs and addiction.”
Wednesday's crowd wasn’t as large as when President Ford’s funeral and memorial services were held over two icy winter days four years ago. But Betty Ford, who gave dance lessons in Grand Rapids and worked at a local department store before marrying Gerald Ford, was remembered fondly by those who came to pay homage.
“She really reached out to all the people who struggled . . . with drug and alcohol addiction,” said John Patrick Jr., a 38-year-old Grand Rapids resident who works with dialysis patients and sees the ravages alcoholism can wreak. “She was very gracious.”
In California, the hearse carrying Betty Ford’s body drove through Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and other desert resort cities, as people lined the streets and hoisted American flags to say goodbye to the beloved former first lady. Some wiped tears from their eyes.
Betty Ford died Friday at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. She was 93.
“What woman doesn’t respect her?” said Barbara Bossi, 68, of Sun City Shadow Hills in Indio, who arrived at St. Margaret’s an hour before the motorcade left. “Even though I’m a Democrat, we need more Republicans like her and Gerald Ford. They were the type that you cross the line for.”
Political affiliation, age and background became irrelevant as people paid their respects to Ford, a woman lauded for her candor, her humanity and her willingness to share her struggles with disease and addiction.
“I feel very American today,” said Burna Bolles, 82, of Palm Springs.
Local well-wishers and those from as far away as Tucson, Ariz., dotted the motorcade's route to the airport, waving flags, snapping pictures and wiping away tears as the caravan of about 14 vehicles led by California Highway Patrol officers left the church.
"I wanted to be a part of history," said Hilary Christiansen, who stood with her 7-year-old son Rory and waved as the vehicles passed.
"I wanted to say farewell to an incredible woman who did so much," the Palm Desert resident added. "She's a wonderful role model for women."
About 50 people stood on the sidewalk in front of The River along Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage, including Cathedral City resident Jason St. John, 39.
St. John said he stepped outside the restaurant he manages in the hopes of getting a picture of history.
“She took a lot of shame away from what people in those days considered to be shameful topics,” he said.
Hundreds more turned out for Wednesday’s motorcade through the Coachella Valley, including people who sat along the route in beach chairs, some shirtless in the warm, sunny weather.
A dozen senior citizens seated in wheelchairs held up a sign reading “Monterey Palms Healthcare” as the hearse passed by. In front of Rancho Mirage Fire Station No. 1, firefighters stood outside, with emergency lights blinking on their vehicles.
A woman on a golf course stopped her cart and held her hand over her heart, while people nearby shouted “Thank you, Betty.” Many clapped and stood at attention.
“The family was overwhelmed with the number of people,” family spokeswoman Barbara Lewandrowski said. “They are so heartfelt and grateful.”
During Tuesday’s service in Palm Desert, former first lady Rosalynn Carter and journalist Cokie Roberts, among others, hailed Ford as a force of nature whose boundless energy and enthusiasm, coupled with a steadfast determination to do what was right, pushed the country toward a commitment to equal rights for women and other causes.
Ford, the accidental first lady, was thrust into the White House when Richard Nixon resigned as president on Aug. 9, 1974, and her husband, then vice president, assumed the nation’s highest office. Although she always said she never expected nor wanted to be first lady, she quickly embraced the role.
Her candidness, unheard of at the time, helped bring such previously taboo subjects as breast cancer into the public discussion as she openly discussed her own battle with the disease. She was equally outspoken about her struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, and her spearheading of the creation of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage to treat those diseases has benefited thousands.
“Millions of women are in her debt today and she was never afraid to speak the truth even about the most sensitive subjects, including her own struggle with alcohol and pain killers,” Carter said. “She got some criticism, but I thought she was wonderful and her honesty gave to others every single day.”
Behind the scenes she was also aggressive and effective, said Roberts, who noted that Ford’s late husband confided to her privately that his wife badgered him relentlessly into stronger public support of equal rights for women.
The former first lady mapped out plans for her funeral well in advance, including who would deliver her eulogies, and Roberts said she told her to be sure to let people know that politics does not have to as acrimonious as it is today.
Other mourners who packed the church included former California first lady Maria Shriver, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Ford’s four children. Former first lady Barbara Bush is expected to attend Thursday’s service in Michigan.
On Wednesday, as she watched the motorcade carrying Betty Ford's body pass, Malena Gomez, 63, of Rancho Mirage, dabbed at her eyes.
“She reminded me of my mother that I lost six years ago,” said Gomez, who recalled reading about Ford in newspapers from her native country, El Salvador. "It's sad to lose somebody.”
Nancy Warren, 68, of Bermuda Dunes, and several of her colleagues left their office and walked a block to The River to also snap photos as the motorcade passed.
Only the office receptionist remained behind, she said.
“I have a big respect for her,” said Warren of Ford. Warren said she is a recovering alcoholic and breast cancer survivor.
Shirley Jamieson, 77, of Thousand Palms, held an American flag as she sat in the shade of a bus stop and waited today for Ford’s procession to pass.
“I watched everything yesterday, but it was just like there wasn’t enough,” Jamieson said. “It’s such a beautiful day to bid her goodbye.”
Vickie Amburgey walked down Cathedral Canyon Drive to Highway 111 to watch the motorcade as it passed through Cathedral City. She did so even though she was expecting two deliveries at her business a few blocks away.
"I have to be here. They can wait," she said. "I left a note: 'I'm paying my respects.'"
A brief ceremony for invited guests took place at the airport once the motorcade arrived.
"This is an incredible tribute," said Indian Wells Mayor Pro Tem Bill Powers, who was part of the first round of guests to be shuttled to the airport for the departure ceremony.
Small crowds also gathered in parking lots and on sidewalks near the airport -- wherever they could catch a glimpse of the aircraft that would take Ford on to Michigan.
“We’ve been watching it on the news, and they wanted to come see it,” said Mareya Padilla, 28, who brought her four children to see the plane take off.
Ford's body left Palm Springs just after 10 a.m. It landed in Grand Rapids at about 2 p.m. Pacific time.
“The preparations are moving along well,” says Ford Foundation spokesman Matt McLogan. “Everyone here has some practice at it because of President (Gerald) Ford’s funeral.”
The former first lady's remains arrived at the Gerald R. Ford Museum at about 6 p.m. Eastern time (3 p.m. Pacific time) for an hourlong private service for family members.
A sizable crowd had already lined up outside the museum in downtown Grand Rapids for Wednesday night's public repose, which was set to start at 7 p.m. Eastern and continue Thursday morning.
A private funeral for Ford is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids.
Following the funeral, she will be laid to rest beside her husband at the presidential museum.
