More Delawareans paid their respects to the late Beau Biden and the Biden family Friday.
People from all walks of life and from across the First State and beyond came out for viewings at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington to say goodbye to Beau Biden, who died last Saturday after battling brain cancer.
Loretta Taylor, whose daughter Jennifer worked with the former state attorney general, recounted how Biden watched out for his staff when they had to work late on cases. She remembered a time he accompanied her and her daughter during a personal crisis.
"He sat there the entire time. And I kept saying, 'I feel bad, I know you have important things you probably need to do.' And he said, 'Mrs. Taylor, I’m right where I need to be,'” said Taylor.
The crowd of mourners for viewings at St. Anthony of Padua Church included immigrants, political operatives, social workers and members of faith communities.
Delaware's entire Congressional delegation, Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Rep. John Carney visited, along with U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew. Civil Rights leader and Georgia Representative John Lewis was also in attendance, as well as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
They were joined by hundreds of Delaware residents, like Pamela Freytag, a Republican. She came out to pay her respects to Beau Biden, who she fondly remembers attending a military themed event at her home in the First State.
"He said, I didn’t know whether I should come, because I’m a “D.” And I said Beau, everyone here is red, white and blue; not just red and blue," she said.
Freytag added that Beau Biden was “such a sweet man,” who was “taken away too early.”
Ana Trujillo lives just blocks from St. Anthony of Padua. She said she came out to honor the Vice President and his family. “It’s so sad when parents have to bury their children,” she said, and then began to cry.
"If something were to happen to my daughter," she continued in Spanish, and turned her head to look away. Trujillo’s husband owns a restaurant that Beau Biden frequented. She said her husband told her Biden seemed like a respectful man with dignity.
Vice President Joe Biden, his wife Jill and other members of the Biden family joined Beau Biden's wife, Hallie, and their children to greet mourners at St. Anthony’s throughout the day.
