Community opens heart for Beau Biden funeral

WILMINGTON – It was both a quiet Little Italy parish and a noisy ground zero for grief shared across a state and nation.

And for all the hours of former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden's funeral on Saturday, it was a place where pride and pain shone on nearly every crowded corner as a president, a former president and hundreds of others paid respects to Vice President Joe Biden, his family and his lost son.

Less than a block from a security checkpoint where hundreds had lined up for screenings, John and Eileen Roche said the funeral had kept them nearly housebound since Friday.

"If you leave, you can't get back in, so we just stayed," Eileen Roche said, as a television station kept up a constant patter on the approaching funeral service, beamed from just outside their home. "I don't mind. I feel very bad for the Bidens, and I'm very sorry about their son."

Eileen Roche, who has lived in her Wilmington home for 60 years, said the funeral "has been the biggest thing in a long time" for St. Anthony, where she and her husband volunteer for the annual church festival. The weeklong event begins Sunday.

Down the street, Alexis Collins, 15, and Fin O'Brien, 14, of Wilmington, were invited to attend the funeral after officials learned they were selling lemonade to raise money for the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. They and their friends raised more than $300 from Friday sales.

"It was really exciting. It was an honor to go," Collins said.

Along sidewalks around the church, American flags could be seen mingling with pennants bearing colors of the Italian flag. A public viewing for Beau Biden was held at the church Friday, bringing thousands of mourners to the neighborhood.

Barricades added to the time for any trip. Uniformed police officers and National Guard troops watched over nearly every corner. They were joined in places by stern-faced officers in suits, often behind sunglasses, as a police helicopter flew overhead.

'He was ever the gentleman'

Hours before the ceremony, invited guests and members of the public snaked down 10th Street waiting to go through metal detectors and into the church. Many arrived hours in advance.

Some on a guest list were taken directly into the church, while others queued and watched the funeral mass from the gymnasium. The funeral attracted a list of political heavyweights, including President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Sarah Dougherty lined up just after 8 a.m. to mourn her old friend, she said. Dougherty, who works in the office of the state Attorney General, said she has known Beau Biden since high school.

She recalled the time that, during a homecoming dance, Dougherty was left alone by her friends "looking like the wallflower" when Beau Biden, a senior to her freshman, brought her out to the dance floor for a dance. He was kind like that, she recalled.

"He was ever the gentleman," Dougherty said.

Teri Williams, a 25-year Little Italy resident, described Beau Biden in much the same way, calling him "a good man."

"I came out to show my respect," Williams said. "I've known Mr. Biden for years. One time, in the Pathmark, he was there and I told the girl, 'He's going to be president,' and he was like, 'No, no, no, don't give me that,' So I said, 'How about vice president?,' and he said, 'yes.' "

Along North DuPont Street, hundreds stood along sidewalks and perched atop porches to watch the arrival of the flag-draped casket and to listen to the funeral service. Some watched the Mass on smartphones, conversations growing hushed as Obama began his eulogy.

Navy Reserve Cmdr. Otto Lee stood for hours outside the church security fence, watching and listening to the Roman Catholic Mass over the speakers, and sharing his own private recollections of Beau Biden.

"I met him and served with him for approximately seven months in Baghdad" in 2009, recalled Lee, who said he works as a patent attorney in Silicon Valley, California.

Lee said he was involved in a patent case in New York when he heard about the death. Making the two-hour trip was an easy decision, he said, to honor a friend and fellow serviceman.

"I'm very honored to have met him and served with him. He's someone who truly cares about people."

Kathryn Mello, 62, and her childhood friend Claudia DeSeta, 62, were sitting on the porch talking while they waited for the Mass to begin.

On Friday, DeSeta waited about three hours to attend the viewing, but the heat was too much and she decided to watch the funeral on television Saturday.

Mello, who has lived here 30 years, said the juxtaposition of the funeral and the start of Sunday's Italian Festival was strange.

"It's sad, and tomorrow this is behind us, and we move forward," she said.

A part of history

Barbara Mathis walked slowly and laboriously away from a Ninth Street parking lot late Saturday morning, as the Mass began and the waiting crowd dispersed.

Mathis, who lives on West 18th Street, said she caught a bus early Saturday and waited an hour to see Beau Biden's arrival at the church, and to snap a few pictures with her cellphone.

"I saw the horses, the cars, the bagpipes," Mathis said. "It was so beautiful, and they had a beautiful day. No rain. But those people need all of our prayers now. I have 10 children, three here and seven in Florida, and I understand what this has to mean."

"It is just a part of history," said Jane McGowan, who claimed her place at the corner of Ninth and DuPont streets at about 9 a.m. for the 10:30 a.m. service.

McGowan said she worked on Joe Biden's first Senate campaign and like many who gathered, she feels a kinship with the Biden family.

"I wanted to let them know that we love them and we are with them," said Najma Landis, who held a sign reading "God Loves Joe and Beau."

Diandra Wilmer brought her sons Aaron, 7, and Ahmad, 5, who were eager to see Obama.

"We caught the cars, but we didn't catch him going in the building," she said.

Stephen Bota, 49, a native of Kenya now living in Silver Spring, Maryland, brought his family Friday night so they could show their respect and support for the Biden family.

"We came here for the viewing. We were here last night," Bota said. "We stayed through the viewing and we spent the night over for the funeral."

As the ceremony came to a close, those who had gone inside their houses began to gather again on their porches to watch the funeral procession leave the church.

As the line of cars drove off, the crowd outside quickly dispersed and those inside filed onto waiting shuttle buses. The street reopened for life to continue as normal again.

"We feel honored that our parish was involved in this," said Mello, the Little Italy resident. "The neighborhood is honored."

Contact Jenna Pizzi at jpizzi@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2837. Folllow her on Twitter @JennaPizzi.

Contact Jon Offredo at (302) 678-4271, on Twitter @JonOffredo or joffredo@delawareonline.com.

Contact Jeff Montgomery at (302) 463-3344 or jmontgomery@delawareonline.com, or on Twitter, @jmontgomery_TNJ