Her son Neil read to her Monday night.
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Her grandson Pierce, Neil's son, was also among family members by her side. Fighting back tears, he recalled the moments they spent in Barbara's final moments.
"He was reading silly jokes. She and my grandfather adored it," said Pierce, retelling what his father did.
It was a memory that makes him smile. There is another that brings tears to his eyes.
"I can't imagine those 73 years," Neil recalled. "To be as close as they were to the very end, and to the point where they were holding hands almost the entirety of her final day on this earth."
Mrs. Bush's funeral will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on Saturday. She will lay in repose for a public viewing Friday. It is the church where the family worshiped since they moved to Houston more than 50 years ago.
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Family, friends, and faith were the most important things in her life, according to those who knew her. Faith, for her family, is making a difference in this time of loss.
"We saw the peace she had," said Pierce. "Prayers are helping. Because of the peace she had with leaving, it gave us peace."
President George H.W. Bush issued this statement today: "We have faith she is in heaven, and we know life will go on, as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list."
"He'll be okay," said Pierce. "But I can't imagine what he's going through deep down. He feels it deeply."