More than 100 people lined each side of the Idaho Capitol Friday morning as they said one final goodbye to former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.
Kempthorne’s flag-draped casket arrived around 10 a.m., greeted by his family, friends and former staffers. He died last month at the age of 74 after a long battle with cancer.
Members of the Idaho State Police, Idaho National Guard and the U.S. Navy carried him to a temporary stand just in front of where the replica of the Liberty Bell usually sits.
The 25th Army Band played a shortened version of John Philip Souza’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” just prior to the cannon fire of a 19-gun salute that set off car alarms in downtown Boise.
Two A-10 Warthogs out of Gowen Field flew over the ceremony, with the memorial quickly moving into the capitol rotunda where all three living governors eulogized Kempthorne.
Butch Otter, who Kempthorne often referred to by the names of several fictional Wild West characters, said a poem by Jack London described his old boss’s life philosophy.
“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet,” Otter recited.
Current Gov. Brad Little, who first met Kempthorne and his wife Patricia as students while they attended the University of Idaho, said he was immediately struck by the kind of person his old friend was.
“He was warm, approachable, thoughtful and genuinely kind. He made others feel valued,” Little said.
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch touted Kempthorne’s support of the military, which he continued after leaving public office.
“Most people were unaware of and will never know the aggressive and successful and confidential work he did getting endangered Americans out of Afghanistan,” said Risch, who has served as both chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee.
“I would get a call in the middle of the night from Dirk saying, ‘I need a plane and I need it now,’” he said.
Former state Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb sang "Amazing Grace," with her voice reflecting off the Capitol building's marble.
Kempthorne will lie in state until Saturday morning before being transferred to the Cathedral of the Rockies for a public funeral beginning at 11 a.m.
He’ll then be buried at the Idaho Veterans Cemetery.
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