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Americans from all walks of life paid their last respects Sunday to former president Gerald Ford here. They filed past Ford's flag-draped casket in The Capitol's Rotunda after being greeted by one of the late president's sons, Jack. Ford died in California on December 26 at the age of 93, and will lie in state until Tuesday. Vice President Dick Cheney, who served as Ford's chief of staff, delivered a speech Saturday evening hailing Ford for his most criticized decision-pardoning his predecessor Richard Nixon. Earlier, in California, thousands of mourners paid their final respects at a church where Ford used to worship. Ford's coffin was then flown to the Andrews Air Force Base near Washington and was received by honorary pallbearers, including Vice President Dick Cheney. Other pallbearers included former Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, and Ford's half-brother, Richard. A solemn procession to the US Capitol followed. There was a pause in front of Washington's WWII memorial in homage to Ford's wartime service in the US Navy before another ceremony at the steps of the Capitol Building. In a tribute in his weekly radio address on Saturday, President Bush described Ford as "one of the finest public servants America has ever known". "Gerald Ford's life spanned nine decades, and took him from the football fields of his boyhood in Michigan to the halls of power in Washington D C. At every stage of his journey, he displayed a decency, patriotism and courage that America will always admire," he said. Bush is expected to pay his respects once he returns to Washington on Monday. The president will also speak at Tuesday's funeral service at the National Cathedral. Ford's coffin will then be taken to Grand Rapids, Michigan - where he spent most of his childhood and practised law - for burial on a hillside near his presidential library on Wednesday.
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