A memorial service Tuesday at the state Capitol remembered Missouri’s 47th and 49th governor – Kit Bond. The 86-year-old died last week.
The Missouri Capitol Rotunda filled with family and friends to honor Bond – a Republican who served as state auditor, governor, and U.S. Senator of Missouri from 1971 to 2011.
Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Bond fulfilled his commitments.
“163 years ago, Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg stated, ‘The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.’ Talk is cheap, but doing takes the devotion of one’s life and Kit Bond was a doer,” said Ashcroft.
He said Bond had the vision to see a “dynamic Missouri.”
“All of us owe the voters a massive thank you for having embraced Kit Bond as our leader,” said Ashcroft. “Our lives are better here in the Show Me State and America is the beneficiary of his life of doing.”
Gov. Mike Kehoe and First Lady Claudia Kehoe at memorial service for Kit Bond (Photo by Tim Bommel, House Communications)
“A life well lived and a true statesman.” That’s how Gov. Mike Kehoe described Bond.
“He didn’t chase the spotlight; he earned respect. He didn’t seek out praise, but he built a name defined by integrity, compassion, and unwavering service. His life was a gift to this state,” said Kehoe. “His legacy lives on, not only through policies, bridges and buildings named in his honor, but the countless lives he touched.”
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Kansas City, said when he arrived in Washington, his friend Bond was there to welcome him.
“Washington can be cruel and uncharitable. Can you believe that a nationally prominent senator would give a reception for a newbie Democrat from Kansas City,” asked Cleaver. “He did and I would dare say that you cannot see that today, which means we really need a lot of Kit Bonds.”
Bond will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until Wednesday afternoon and a celebration of life is set for Thursday in Ladue.
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