Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford grandchildren came to the museum that night and greeted mourners for several hours. Shortly after noon on January 3, Ford's body was removed from the museum and taken by motorcade to Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids, where a private funeral service was conducted Thousands of people lined the entire motorcade route to the church. During the service, eulogies were delivered by Donald Rumsfeld (President Ford's White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense), former President Jimmy Carter, Richard Norton Smith (former Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum and a close personal friend of
President Gerald R. Ford Field Service Council Gerald R. Ford Council was formed by the merger of Timber Trails Council and Grand Valley Council in 1975, and was known as West Michigan Shores Council until 1995. At that time, the Council was renamed after Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States and an Eagle Scout from Troop 15 (now Troop 215) in Grand Rapids. Camp Shawondossee was the former camp of the Grand Valley Council, located on Duck Lake in Muskegon County in Whitehall. The land is now part of Duck Lake State Park. Nataepu Shohpe Lodge is based in the President Ford Field Service