Hundreds Pay Respects at Heinz Funeral
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Hundreds of people overflowed a chapel Wednesday for the funeral of Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.), who was remembered as a selfless man who used his wealth and influence to help the elderly, labor and environment.
“John did not need to be in politics,†said Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), an Episcopal priest who delivered the homily. “He did not need the town meetings and fund-raisers, the days on the road, the nights in the motels, the cramped hours in little airplanes. It was his gift.â€
Heinz, 52, a three-term senator and heir to the H. J. Heinz Co. family food fortune, and six other people were killed April 4 when Heinz’s small airplane and a helicopter collided over a suburban Philadelphia elementary school.
About 450 people, including Vice President Dan Quayle and Gov. Robert P. Casey, crammed the Heinz Memorial Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh campus. About 500 people listened to the funeral service through loudspeakers under tents and canopies outside of the chapel, which was named for Heinz’s grandfather.
Heinz was buried at Homewood Cemetery in a mausoleum with 19 other members of the Heinz family.
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