George W. Bush's Moving Eulogy For His Father

In eulogizing his dad, George W. Bush also remembered his own sister, who died at 3.

Transcript

00:00Through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man,

00:06the best father a son or daughter could have.

00:11And in our grief, let us smile knowing that dad is hugging Robin and holding mom's hand again.

00:30He accepted that failure is a part of living a full life,

00:38but taught us never to be defined by failure. He showed us how setbacks can strengthen.

00:44None of his disappointments could compare with one of life's greatest tragedies,

00:48the loss of a young child. Jeb and I were too young to remember the pain and agony he and mom

00:54felt when our three-year-old sister died. We only learned later that dad, a man of quiet faith,

01:03prayed for her daily. He was sustained by the love of the Almighty and the real and enduring

01:09love of our mom. Dad always believed that one day he would hug his precious Robin again.

01:15In his inaugural address, the 41st President of the United States said this,

01:20We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give

01:26them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home,

01:32his neighborhood, and town better than he found it. What do we want the men and women who work

01:37with us to say when we are no longer there? That we were more driven to succeed than anyone around us,

01:45or that we stopped to ask if a sick child had gotten better and stayed a moment there to trade

01:50a word of friendship. Well, dad, we're going to remember you for exactly that and much more,

01:57and we're going to miss you. Your decency, sincerity, and kind soul will stay with us forever.

02:04Through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man,

02:10a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have.

02:17And in our grief, let us smile knowing that dad is hugging Robin and holding mom's hand again.