Thousands of well-wishers witnessed an honor guard of firefighters standing to attention to salute pallbearers carrying Boston Marathon attack victim Krystle Campbell’s casket into church today.
The line outside St. Joseph Church on Monday for the 11 a.m. funeral of 29-year-old Krystle Campbell stretched down the block as 23 officers on motorbikes joined the procession.
Krystle Campbell was one of three people killed near the Boston marathon finish line on April 15. The restaurant manager had gone to watch a friend finish the race.
In addition to the mourners, union members and a local motorcycle club showed up to stop a church group from disrupting the funeral.
Teamsters Local 25 President Sean O’Brien says the union members planned to stand in front of protesters to block them from the Campbell family’s view.
The Westboro Baptist Church, whose members are known for protesting outside soldiers’ funerals with anti-gay messages, issued a statement on Saturday vowing to protest Krystle Campbell’s funeral.
Mourners made up a quarter-mile long parade to say goodbye to Krystle Campbell – who was killed as a result of the deadly Boston bombings.
Different pictures of Krystle Campbell, some of her wearing a Red Sox shirt, some of her at her high school graduation and some as a child at her communion were pleaded on a slide-show loop.
The Lumineers’ hit Ho Hey was played as mourners, family and friends walked past her open brown casket.
Krystal Campbell’s heartbroken mother Patty Campbell, who memorably declared: “It doesn’t make sense” after learning of her daughter’s death, bravely attended the service today.
Speaking to and hugging as many mourners as she could meet, Patty Campbell drove away from the church in tears.
Krystle Campbell’s parents were too upset to speak at any point during the funeral, so pastor Chip Hines spoke for them during the service, saying: “Krystle was always there for people.”
Cardinal O’Malley said the final prayer, said parishoner Phyllis Patten.
The hour long funeral service ended with a choir singing a proud version of God Bless America.
Some in the crowd outside St. Joseph’s Church in Medford said they had driven as far as 100 miles to attend the funeral, where officials including Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick were in attendance.
As she waited for the funeral, Renee Arsenault, a 28-year-old hairdresser, said she had gone to middle school with Krystle Campbell.
“I am so happy this many people showed up in her honor,” Renee Arsenault said.
The hearse carrying Krystle Campbell’s red-tinted casket was escorted by about 20 police motorcycles and an honor guard of uniformed law enforcement officers stood in front of the church as pallbearers carried the casket in.
A wake for Krystle Campbell was held on Sunday at a funeral home in Medford, where the 29-year-old restaurant manager was raised and graduated from high school in 2001.
After the funeral Mass in St Joseph’s Church on Monday, Krystle Campbell was then buried in Medford’s Oak Grove Cemetery.
Krystle Campbell’s funeral was the first of the memorial events planned for the day. Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had called for the public to observe a moment of silence at 2:50 p.m., to mark one week since the bombing. Boston University scheduled a 7 p.m. memorial service for graduate student Lu Lingzi, who also died in the blast.
The governors of nearby states including Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine also said they would observe the moment of silence.
No public funeral has yet been scheduled for the bombing’s youngest victim, Martin Richard, or for Sean Collier, a member of the MIT police who the two suspected bombers gunned down on Thursday night.
Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was in custody at a Boston hospital on Monday after being apprehended on Friday night. He was badly injured in a gun battle with police that led to the death of his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26.
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