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
Gerald Rudolff Ford Gerald Rudolff Ford Gerald Rudolff Ford (December 9, 1890 – January 26, 1962) was an American businessman, creator of Ford Industries, and Republican politician who was the stepfather of U.S. President Gerald Ford and for whom Ford legally changed his name. Ford was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he raised the future President. His parents were George R. and Frances (Pixley) Ford. The senior Ford's father George Ford died in a train accident in 1903 forcing him to drop out of school to support the family. He was working as a paint salesman at the Grand Rapids Wood Finishing