5,000 celebrate life of Tubbs Jones
Distinguished crowd attends funeral
September 1, 2008
Source: Akron Beacon Journal
By Jewell Cardwell
CLEVELAND: ''She exuded love,'' the Rev. Stephen Rowan told the audience of about 5,000 who gathered on Saturday in the Cleveland Public Auditorium for the funeral of U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
''We have come to celebrate a great life that speaks for itself,'' said Rowan, pastor of Cleveland's Bethany Baptist Church, where Tubbs Jones was a member.
While news of Tubbs Jones' death Aug. 20 from a ruptured brain aneurysm was met with both shock and sadness, the resume of her 58-year life — her accomplishments, her friendships, her ever-present smile and her final gift — was a thing of joy.
She was an organ donor, whose corneas will now allow others to see.
But it was Tubbs Jones' own vision that was remembered and celebrated this day.
Among those in attendance: former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton, House Democratic Whip James Clyburn, Gov. Ted Strickland, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, and Louis Stokes, whom Tubbs Jones replaced in Congress when he retired.
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