Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was laid to rest Monday alongside President John F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery at a private ceremony attended by President Clinton and her family and friends.
Mrs. Onassis, who died of cancer Thursday at 64 in her New York home, was laid to rest near the eternal flame she herself lit 31 years ago upon Kennedy's burial.In a brief eulogy, Clinton said her life would "forever glow in the hearts of her fellow Americans."
"God gave her very great gifts and imposed upon her great burdens. She bore them all with dignity and grace and uncommon common sense," Clinton said.
"Whether she was soothing a nation grieving for a former president or raising the children with the care and the privacy they deserved or simply being a good friend, she seemed always to do the right thing in the right way," he said.
At the end of the service, her two children, John Kennedy Jr., 33, and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, 36, knelt in silent prayer before the mahogany casket. They crossed themselves and then each kissed the casket.
Clinton drove to National Airport in suburban Virginia where the casket was flown after services in New York City. Then, her remains were taken to Arlington in a 28-car motorcade. Hundreds of people lined the route. One person held a sign reading, "She lives in our hearts."
First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the New York service and returned to Washington with members of Mrs. Onassis' family. Former first lady Lady Bird Johnson also attended the funeral in New York.
In his eulogy, Sen. Edward Kennedy said his sister-in-law "was always there - for our family - in her special way."
"She was a blessing to us and to the nation - and a lesson to the world on how to do things right, how to be a mother, how to appreciate history, how to be courageous."
"I often think of what she said about Jack in December after he died: `They made him a legend, when he would have preferred to be a man,' " the senator said. "Jackie would have preferred to be just herself, but the world insisted that she be a legend, too. She never wanted public notice - in part, I think because it brought back painful memories of an unbearable sorrow, endured in the glare of a million lights."It was a simple, graceful funeral Mass whose every detail - from the bouquets of white flowers and long, tapered candles decorating the altar to the songs and readings - was designed by John Jr. and Caroline Schlossberg.
The opera singer Jessye Norman sang a poignant rendition of Schubert's "Ave Maria." Caroline and Mrs. Onassis' companion of many years, Maurice Tempelsman, each read a poem.
Television cameras were not allowed in the church, but the sound portion was relayed to listeners across the nation. CBS, NBC and CNN carried the service, using still pictures of Mrs. Onassis to accompany the audio.
The honorary pall bearers, all first cousins, were Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Timothy Shriver, Christopher Lawford, William K. Smith, Edward Kennedy Jr. and Jack Walsh. Walsh was a Secret Service agent who watched over John and Caroline when they were in the White House.
Security in New York was extremely tight. Police kept spectators several blocks from the church behind barricades. The blocks surrounding the church were closed to all except residents, who had to prove they lived in the area.
Even so, ordinary people came out to say goodbye. Some listened to the service on portable radios.
Monday's funeral followed a private viewing Sunday at Mrs. Onassis' apartment, a few blocks from the church. During it, a crowd out on the street 15 stories below chanted: "We love Jackie!"
The Kennedy grave site was closed all day Monday. A scattering of onlookers and rows of television satellite vans were gathered outside the cemetery's massive gates.
A cemetery spokesman said 23 other funerals that had been scheduled during the day went on as planned. The section near the Kennedy grave site, however, was closed to visitors.
The gothic Washington National Cathedral, which overlooks Washington, tolled its "passing" bell 64 times, once for each year of Mrs. Onassis' life, in remembrance of the former first lady.