After Barbara Bush's Funeral, Secret Service Spotted by Coffin. Then Photographer Realizes
On April 21, America watched as former first lady Barbara Bush was laid to rest at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston.
An elegant coffin with piles of roses on top was placed at the front of the church as family and friends paid tribute to Bush’s legacy.
Many of Bush’s grandchildren read powerful sections of scripture from the Bible. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush gave a touching eulogy, bringing listeners to laughter and tears as he shared stories about his mother.
At the conclusion of the service, Bush’s grandsons carried her casket outside. And as the casket made its way out of the church, so did a group of secret service agents, continuing to protect and serve the former first lady until it was physically impossible to do so any longer.
Some of the agents had been serving Bush for decades. She treated them like family, they said, and her loss was painful to bear.
They were honored, said one, to stand by her side one last time. The men who worked around the clock to ensure Bush was always safe, remained loyal still.
“Agents on her detail, they’re the ones posted around her house all of the time,” former agent Thom Bolsch told KTRK-TV. “They’re the ones who bring her shopping. They’re the ones who bring her to events.”
“They are family to her,” Bolsch added. “She was one of the most gracious people we’ve ever protected.”
Bush had a code name that agents said perfectly suited her personality — Tranquility. In a moving tribute, former agent Jonathan Wackrow explained why the name was so fitting.
“It exemplified her demeanor and its calming, humanizing and gentle effect on those around her,” Wackrow wrote. “She will be forever missed.”
According to KTRK-TV, just two Secret Service agents rode in the hearse that transported Bush to her final resting place. She was laid to rest at the Bush Library at Texas A&M University, near her late daughter Robin.
Pauline Robinson “Robin” Bush passed away at the age of three from leukemia.
“She went out of her way to make us feel like part of the Bush family,” Bolsch expressed. “It was just a wonderful relationship we had.”
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