Today began the first of three days of events leading up to Thursday’s burial ceremony for former first lady Betty Ford.
The wife of the nation's 38th president Gerald Ford died at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California on Friday at age 93.
Nearly 1,000 family members, dignitaries and guests attended today’s memorial, which was held in Coachella Valley, CA. Former President George W. Bush, first lady Michelle Obama, former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Hillary Clinton were in attendance at the service, and former Betty Ford Center board member Geoffrey Mason gave a eulogy.
On Thursday, the former first lady’s remains will be laid to rest alongside her husband, in a private service near the Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.