Jack Layton’s life celebrated
Posted Aug 28, 2011 9:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Goodbye Jack and thank you.
Those are the sentiments from thousands of Canadians, as they paid their final respects to former NDP leader Jack Layton on Saturday.
About 1,700 dignitaries, officials and other invited guests packed Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto for his funeral, along with several hundred members of the public, some of whom lined up overnight to get tickets.
Together, Layton’s children, Mike and Sarah gave his eulogy.
They both looked back fondly on their father’s life and shared some of their favourite memories.
“On election night 2008, you left the victory party crying,” Sarah said.
“Honest, tears of joy. Not because you won more New Democrat seats, but because as you were leaving, Hugh and I called you ‘Grandpa Jack’ for the first time. It was our way of telling you, we were expecting our first grandchild.”
After sharing a number of stories, Sarah looked at Layton’s wife Olivia calling her “Dad’s soulmate.”
