Laughter, tears as former first lady Barbara Bush remembered

Barbara Bush was remembered as the "first lady of the Greatest Generation" during a funeral Saturday attended by four former U.S. presidents and hundreds of other people who filled a Houston church with laughter as much as tears, with many recalling her quick wit and devotion to family.

Former President George H. W. Bush greets the mourners with his daughter Dorothy "Doro" Bush Koch during the visitation for former first lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church Friday, April 20, 2018, in Houston. Barbara Bush died on April 17, at the age of 92. (Mark Burns/Offce of George H.W. Bush/Pool via AP)

Attendees arrive at St. Martin's Episcopal Church for a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip , Pool)

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush joked that his mother called her style of raising him and his siblings "'a benevolent dictatorship' — but honestly, it wasn't always benevolent." She was widely admired for her plainspoken style during her husband George H.W. Bush's presidency and was known as "The Enforcer" in her high-powered family.

Jeb Bush said he could feel her presence Saturday inside the nation's largest Episcopal church and that she would likely have given him advice: "Jeb, keep it short. Don't drag this out," he said to chuckles. He met her expectations with a speech lasting about seven minutes.

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama greet first lady Melania Trump at St. Martin's Episcopal Church for a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )

Accompanied by his wife, Hillary Clinton,left, former President Bill Clinton arrives at St. Martin's Episcopal Church for a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )

He choked up at one point while addressing the roughly 1,500 people seated inside St. Martin's Episcopal Church, where his parents regularly worshipped, when saying his mother — known for her self-deprecating remarks about her wrinkles and white-gray hair — was "beautiful" until the very end.

His father, a prolific writer of love letters to his wife, laughed when his son read a letter from their wedding anniversary in 1994. It began: "Will you marry me? Oops! I forgot we did that, 49 years ago." But when his son continued reading, about how his father grew happier each year spent with his wife, his father closed his eyes and cried. Jeb Bush later hugged his father and kissed him on the cheek.

Former Presidents George W. Bush, left, and George H.W. Bush arrive at St. Martin's Episcopal Church for a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )

Jon Meacham speaks during a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip , Pool)

Presidential historian Jon Meacham, who wrote a 2015 biography on the former president, recalled during his eulogy Barbara Bush's devotion to her husband of 73 years, noting he was the "only boy she ever kissed." Theirs was the longest marriage of any presidential couple.

Meacham said Barbara Bush was also known for bringing awareness to AIDS patients and for her work promoting literacy , which her husband subtly honored Saturday by wearing socks printed with blue, red and yellow books.

"Barbara Bush was the first lady of the Greatest Generation," Meacham said, a nod to the generation that fought in World War II.

Former President George W. Bush accompanied by former first lady Laura Bush follow as pallbearers carry the casket of former first lady Barbara Bush after a funeral service at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush accompanied by their family members watch as pallbearers carry the casket of former first lady Barbara Bush after a funeral service Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The couple's family, including their five children, 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, played prominent roles in the service. Granddaughters offered readings, some of their voices shaky with emotion, while their eight grandsons were pallbearers.

The Bush family was seated in front of the church. Nearby, two other former presidents — Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — along with their wives and current first lady Melania Trump were seated in the same pew.

Jenna Bush, left, wipes away tears as granddauters gather to speak during a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip , Pool)

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush speaks during a funeral service for his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Houston. (Brett Coomer /Houston Chronicle via AP, Pool)

A eulogy was also given by Barbara Bush's longtime friend, Susan Baker, wife of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III. She said Bush — the wife of the nation's 41st president and mother of the 43rd — was "the secret sauce of this extraordinary family."

As the funeral ended, George H.W. Bush was pushed in his wheelchair by another son, former President George W. Bush, as they followed the casket out of the church's cavernous sanctuary, which had been adorned with sprays of yellow garden roses, yellow snap dragons and antique hydrangeas.

The hearse carrying former first lady Barbara Bush passes through members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets as it nears her husband's presidential library at the university on Saturday, April 21, 2018, in College Station, Texas. After an invitation-only funeral in Houston, Bush, who died on Tuesday, was buried at a gated plot near the library. 700 members of the Corps of Cadets lined the Barbara Bush Drive leading up to the library. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

The hearse carrying former first lady Barbara Bush passes through members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets as it nears her husband's presidential library at the university on Saturday, April 21, 2018, in College Station, Texas.(Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)

They stopped along the way to shake hands as mourners sang "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," which Barbara Bush had requested as the final song. She died on Tuesday , with her husband by her side, at their home in Houston. She was 92.

Barbara Bush was buried Saturday afternoon at her husband's presidential library at Texas A&M University in College Station, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Houston. The burial site is in a gated plot surrounded by trees and near a creek where the couple's 3-year-old daughter Robin is buried. She died of leukemia in 1953.

FILE - In this 1990 file photo, first lady Barbara Bush poses with her dog Millie in Washington. A family spokesman said Tuesday, April 17, 2018, that former first lady Barbara Bush has died at the age of 92. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

"It was a very brief but poignant and beautiful ending to a very moving and incredible day. It would have been exactly what Barbara Bush wanted," family spokesman Jim McGrath said.

Hundreds of people lined both sides of the street near the campus as the funeral procession passed on a gray, cloudy day. Flags were flown at half-staff.

Other guests at the invitation-only funeral included former Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, and professional golfer Phil Mickelson, along with Karl Rove and other former White House staff members.

Melania Trump said in a statement it was an honor to give her respects to a "fearless" first lady, adding: "Today the world paid tribute to a woman of indisputable character and grace." President Donald Trump didn't attend to avoid security disruptions, according to the White House, but he released a statement saying his thoughts were with the family.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, also didn't attend because he was traveling overseas and she was recovering from surgery, according to the Carter Center.

On Friday, more than 6,200 people visited the Houston church during a public viewing. Many of the women wore the former first lady's favorite color, blue, and her trademark pearl necklaces.

George H.W. Bush was so moved by how many people lined up Friday to pay their final respects to his wife that he decided to go . From his wheelchair, he spent about 15 minutes shaking hands with people who had come.

DENVER (AP) — A couple who owned a Colorado funeral home where authorities last year discovered 190 decaying bodies were indicted on federal charges that they misspent nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds on vacations, cosmetic surgery, jewelry and other personal expenses, according to court documents unsealed Monday.

The indictment reaffirms accusations from state prosecutors that Jon and Carie Hallford gave families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes and alleges the couple buried the wrong body on two occasions.

The couple also collected more than $130,000 from families for cremations and burial services they never provided, the indictment said.

The 15 charges brought by the federal grand jury are in addition to more than 200 criminal counts already pending against the Hallfords in Colorado state court for corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery.

The federal offenses carry potential penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, the indictment said.

On Monday, the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs entered a federal courtroom bound in shackles as they made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Varholak.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff argued the couple were a flight risk, after they allegedly fled to Oklahoma last October when the decaying bodies were first discovered and before their arrest on state charges on Nov. 8.

“They simply evaporated from the community,” Neff said.

The judge did not immediately decide if the couple should be released pending trial. He set an arraignment hearing for Thursday.

Carie Hallford’s attorney, Chaz Melihercik, said he would argue against detention at the next hearing. Jon Hallford’s public defender, Kilie Latendresse, told the judge that he had been following his bond conditions in the state case and that detention was unnecessary.

The new charges and accusations triggered more anguish for families who sent their loved ones to the funeral home.

Every new revelation about the case is a jolt to Tanya Wilson, who hired Return to Nature to cremate her mother’s remains. Wilson spread the ashes with family in Hawaii. After the grim discovery, Wilson was told those ashes weren’t actually her mother, whose body has since been identified among the 190 decaying bodies.

Hundreds of family members, like Wilson, had thought they put their loved one’s to rest, or clutched their ashes close, only to have that healing torn away.

“I honestly feel like I have whiplash, and I can’t hold onto one emotion long enough to be able to process it,” Wilson said over the phone.

Before the new indictment was unsealed, public records showed the Hallfords had been plagued by debt — facing evictions and lawsuits for unpaid cremations even as they spent lavishly on themselves.

The indictment alleges the couple used $882,300 in pandemic relief funds to buy items that also included a vehicle, dinners, tuition for their child and cryptocurrency. The fraud involved three loans obtained between March 2020 and October 2021, authorities said.

Previously released court documents from the state abuse of corpse case reveal more details about what they were spending money on.

They bought a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti that together were worth over $120,000 — enough to cover cremation costs twice over for all of the bodies found in their business’ facility last October, according to previous court testimony from FBI Agent Andrew Cohen.

“That is just thoroughly disgusting for a lack of a better term, just reading about all the money that they had,” said Wilson. “Just the price of the two vehicles that he bought ... it was enough to just do right by these families.”

The Hallfords also paid for trips to California, Florida and Las Vegas, as well as $31,000 in cryptocurrency, laser body sculpting and shopping at luxury retailers like Gucci and Tiffany & Co., according to court documents.

The couple have not yet entered pleas to the state’s abuse of corpse charges.

The Hallfords left in their wake a trail of unpaid bills, disgruntled landlords and unsettled business disputes.

The couple once claimed to a former landlord that they would settle their rent when they were paid for work they had done for the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. The business’ website featured logos for FEMA and the Department of Defense.

FEMA has said they did not have any contracts with the funeral home. A defense department database search also showed no contracts with Return to Nature.

The company failed to pay more than $5,000 in 2022 property taxes at one of its locations, public records show. Then last year, the business was slapped with a $21,000 judgement for not paying for “a couple hundred cremations,” according to public records and attorney Lisa Epps with Wilbert Funeral Services crematory.

The Hallfords' alleged lies, money laundering, forgery and manipulation over the past four years devastated hundreds of grieving family members.

The 190 bodies were discovered last year in a bug-infested storage building in the small town of Penrose, about two hours south of Denver. Some of the remains had languished since 2019.

An investigation by The Associated Press found that the Hallfords likely sent fake ashes and fabricated cremation records to families who did business with them. They appear to have written on death certificates given to families, along with ashes, that the cremations were performed by Wilbert Funeral Services, which denied performing them for the funeral home at that time.

As the decomposing bodies were identified, families learned that the ashes they'd received could not have been the remains of their loved ones. Court documents allege at least some were dry concrete.

As far back as 2020, there were concerns raised about the business’s improper storage of bodies. But there was no follow-up by regulators, letting the collection of bodies grow to nearly 200 over the following three years.

Colorado has some of weakest funeral home regulations in the country. Funeral home operators in the state don’t have to graduate high school, let alone study mortuary science or pass an exam.

The Hallfords case and others in recent years spurred Colorado lawmakers to introduce legislation to strengthen oversight with rules that are in line with or exceed those in other states. Those bills are currently moving through the state Legislature.

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

FILE - This combination of booking photos provided by the Muskogee County, Okla., Sheriff's Office shows Jon Hallford, left, and Carie Hallford, the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home. The couple who owned the Colorado funeral home — where 190 decaying bodies were discovered last year — have been indicted on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government, according to court documents unsealed Monday, April 15, 2024. (Muskogee County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

FILE - A hearse and debris can be seen at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, Oct. 5, 2023, in Penrose, Colo. The couple who owned the Colorado funeral home — where 190 decaying bodies were discovered last year — have been indicted on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government, according to court documents unsealed Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP, File)