The funeral for former first lady Barbara Bush, the wife of 41st President George H.W. Bush and mother of 43rd President George W. Bush, will be held in Houston on Saturday.
After the service, she will be driven to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station for her burial.
Members of the public will be able to pay their respects as Barbara Bush lies in repose on Friday between noon and midnight at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, according to a statement from the Bush Library website. The funeral, which is invitation-only, will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
According to a media release from Lt. Craig Anderson, College Station Police Department public information officer, the motorcade bringing Barbara Bush to the Bush Library will travel through College Station in the afternoon.
“The motorcade will travel northbound on Texas Avenue from Highway 6 to George Bush Drive, then travel westbound on George Bush Drive to Barbara Bush Drive,” the media release said. “It is estimated that over 50 emergency vehicles will be involved, with officers controlling traffic at intersections along the route to allow passage. Traffic on Texas Avenue and George Bush Drive, as well as parking lots and cross streets along the route, will be impacted as officers block major intersections. Traffic will be limited until the motorcade passes.”
Civilians who wish to pay tribute to Barbara Bush will need to park away from the route and stand on the sidewalks as the motorcade passes through College Station, the media release said. The city of College Station has requested anyone interested in watching the motorcade be in place by 2 p.m., according to the media release.
The Texas A&M newswire sent an email stating the Bush Library will not be open to the public from Friday to Saturday. The museum will be open with free admission from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and will be open from noon until 8 p.m. on Sunday, also with free admission. The museum will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. with free admission on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the library will resume normal hours and admission fees.
According to the Barbara Bush website, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city of Houston will be hosting a celebration of Barbara Bush’s life on Thursday.
“The former president and former first lady weren’t born in Houston but they got here as soon as they could,” Turner said in a press release Tuesday. “Mrs. Bush quickly turned to volunteerism and grassroots political work in our city. … In her loving memory, the City of Houston and the Houston Public Library Foundation will work to complete the master planned improvements to the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza in front of the Jesse H. Jones Central Library.”
According to a press release from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the Bush family has requested those who wish to honor Barbara Bush’s memory to make donations to the foundation in lieu of flowers. The foundation was founded on March 6, 1989, and has provided educational opportunities for Americans of all ages in the years since.
On Wednesday, Melania Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said, the current first lady will attend the Houston funeral service. At the present time, the White House has not made a comment regarding whether President Donald Trump will be attending the service.