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Borsellino passed away from ALS May 27th, 2006

June 03, 2006

Hundreds gather to remember Borsellino with laughter, tears

Minutes before Rob Borsellino�s funeral started Saturday morning, a friend hustled up to the altar to correct a mistake.

Someone had incorrectly positioned a large photograph of Borsellino on an easel. The way the picture was set, he appeared to be holding his head upright, looking at the world straight on, as people normally do. The friend knew that was wrong. She picked up the portrait and rotated it to the left, the way it was meant to be. It showed Borsellino resting his head on his forearm, watching events from an unusual angle.

The friend returned to her seat, and the eulogies soon began. First at St. Augustin Catholic Church, and later at Principal Park, speaker after speaker recalled Borsellino as a brash, caring journalist whose outsider�s perspective helped Iowans learn about themselves. He demonstrated how to make a joke without being cruel, and how to challenge authority without making enemies.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin recalled how Borsellino routinely hugged people. �Unlike most of us from Iowa, he didn�t like to leave a lot of space between you and him.� That attitude also came across in his writing, he said.

For the complete article please refer to the original source at the Des Moines Register - click here.