Remembering Ronald Reagan

It was a summer’s day just over three years ago. A sad one for many Americans for we had just lost one of the greatest men to ever grace this country with his presence. Our 40th President, Ronald Wilson Reagan had passed away. Now it was time for all to say goodbye on that June 11th 2004 day.

I remember sitting in our living room watching the California portion of the funeral. I listened intently as all the speeches were given. All the funny, kind and poignant stories were recalled. Indeed, it was a sad day. It was the first time in a long time I had felt such sorrow surrounding the passing of someone that I did not personally know.

But, one of the hardest parts of watching the funeral was seeing the heart break in the face of Nancy Reagan. She just couldn’t bring herself to easily say her final goodbye to the man she had loved for so long. I cried as I watched her place her hands on and gently pass them over the casket. My own heart broke because I felt her pain in that moment deep inside.

Another, moment captured on camera was that of Marine Sergeant Ethan Rocke. As strong as the marines are, he found it hard to hold back the tears as taps were played for President Reagan. I can only imagine the difficulty they each faced. I picture them both as robust individuals in different ways. Yet, they each felt the loss as too much to bare at that moment for the man we all knew as Ronald Reagan.

In my opinion only, these two pictures depict the kind of sadness that many of us felt when President Reagan passed away. I just had to place them here.