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Live Coverage: White Funeral Service

The service has concluded and the video stream has been removed. See our recap here.

Pallbearers carry Kevin White's casket into St. Cecilia Church. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Pallbearers carry Kevin White's casket into St. Cecilia Church. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Update at 1 p.m.: Robert Crane Eulogy

Crane, the former state treasurer and the late mayor's longtime friend, joked that "he wasn't really impressed with [White]" at first, and that White would cheat at Trivial Pursuit.

But in his heartfelt remarks, Crane compared his friendship with White to a marriage. "If you knew him, no explanation is necessary," he said. "If you didn't, no explanation is possible."

Update at 12:40 p.m.: Mark Hagen White Eulogy

"My father shared two families," said Mark White, referring to the late mayor's public and private lives. "Today we celebrate as one family."

In his eulogy, Mark White recalled family memories and his father's "incandescent energy," which "turned crazy ideas into reality."

Update at 12:22 p.m.: Communion

Listen to WBUR-FM's broadcast (here) for annotated coverage of the service.

Update at 11:56 a.m.: Homily

Boston College Chancellor J. Donald Monan, S.J., who delivered the homily, called White "a tough-minded, gracious man." Referencing the late mayor, Monan said, "We can serve God through the quality of community we build."

Update at 11:40 a.m.: Liturgy Begins

The Rev. Jeremy Clarke, a Jesuit priest and Boston College professor, is providing reflections on the readings for our special WBUR-FM coverage. Listen to that here.

Update at 11:34 a.m.: Frank Speaks

In a lengthy eulogy that drew many laughs, Rep. Barney Frank called himself the "great beneficiary" of Kevin White's City Hall hiring and political lessons. He called White a "great political leader."

"Be the best person you can, but don't be phony," Frank said White told him.

Update at 11:15 a.m.: Menino Eulogy

Saying Kevin White "set a standard many of us are trying to live up to," Mayor Thomas Menino has just completed his eulogy.

"It's hard to imagine the city without Kevin White, but weren't we lucky to have him?" Menino said. "Does anyone doubt that Boston was put on a path to greatness by Kevin White?"

Menino lauded White's "grand vision" and "irresistible personality," calling him a mayor of both downtown and the neighborhoods.

Update at 11:00 a.m.: Entering The Church

With the pallbearers carrying the casket into the red-brick church, WBUR's Steve Brown relays some conversations he's had about White over the last few days. He says folks remember White's sense of humor, his irony and his "can-do attitude that permeated the entire White administration."

Update at 10:30 a.m: The Funeral Procession

A motorcade carrying the late former Mayor Kevin White has wound its way through Downtown Boston, stopping at St. Cecilia Church in the Back Bay, where the funeral is set to begin at 11.

The cavalcade began at the Parkman House, by the State House, and passed White's Faneuil Hall statue and his Beacon Hill home.

The procession and Mass follow yesterday's public wake, which was attended by hundreds. There, mourners recalled personal and professional stories of the late mayor.

“Great man, did a great job with the city,” said Bill Howard, who worked for Mayor White from 1975 to 1984.

While greeting mourners at the Parkman House, White’s son, Mark White, said he wanted to meet everyone who knew his father, and hear every little story.

White died on Friday, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 82.

This article was originally published on February 01, 2012.

This program aired on February 1, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

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Benjamin Swasey Digital Manager
Ben is WBUR's digital news manager.

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