BOISE, ID – State officials and hundreds of Idahoans gathered at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise on Friday to honor the late former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne during a formal lying in state ceremony.
Kempthorne was a Republican who also served as the mayor of Boise, a U.S. senator and the U.S. secretary of the Interior during a nearly 25-year career in public office.
He died April 24 following a battle with cancer.
Kempthorne, 74, was remembered as a kind and charismatic public official who made lasting changes to Idaho by serving at the local, state and federal level.
“He was a man who truly loved our state, and he was a man who had an incredibly unique ability to both be larger than life and yet also to make people feel uniquely and genuinely seen – all at the same time,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said during Friday’s ceremony.
Idaho officials, public mourn the loss of ‘man who actually devoted his life to serving others’
Kempthorne’s casket will continue to lie in state in the first floor rotunda inside the Idaho State Capitol until it is moved to Cathedral of the Rockies on Saturday morning for a public funeral service.
Prior to that, the public is invited to visit the Idaho State Capitol to pay respects to Kempthorne until the building closes at 7 p.m. Mountain time Friday.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little and both of Idaho’s living former governors, former Gov. Butch Otter and U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, all attended and spoke at Friday’s ceremonies.
Kempthorne’s wife, Patricia, the Kempthornes’ children, retired Maj. Gen. Gary Sayler, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, current and former state officials, legislators from both political parties, relatives and friends also attended Friday’s ceremonies.
Little said his friendship with Kempthorne and his wife dates back to the time they all spent at the University of Idaho, before they entered public service.
“(First lady) Teresa (Little) and I have joined so many Idahoans in mourning the loss of a man who actually devoted his life to serving others and strengthening both our state and nation,” Little said.
Otter, who served as lieutenant governor under Kempthorne for two years, said Kempthorne was a living embodiment of two fictional characters famous for their morals – Atticus Finch from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Jimmy Stewart’s titular character from the film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
“(Kempthorne) had the same conviction, and he had the same will to do the right thing,” Otter said.
A 19-gun salute, an A-10 flyover, performances of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and the state song “Here We Have Idaho,” were included in Friday’s ceremonies. The Idaho Army National Guard’s 25th Army Band, 550 Chordsmen, 8-Top Ensemble and former state Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, all performed, sang or led ceremonies during Friday’s events.
“Each of us has a different personal reason for being here this morning, but our common purpose this morning is to honor and to acknowledge a life very well lived,” former Idaho Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said Friday. “ We’re here to express our appreciation to one of Idaho’s greatest public servants.”
Kempthorne’s funeral and internment ceremony are scheduled for Saturday in Boise. The funeral service begins at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Rockies, 717 N. 11th St., and will be livestreamed online for those who cannot attend in person.
The internment ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, which Kempthorne helped authorize and create, located at 10100 N. Horseshoe Bend Road in Boise.
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