Funerals at Washington’s National Cathedral tell the story of a nation

By MIKE PESOLI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — When former Vice President Dick Cheney ‘s funeral is held Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital, he will join a bipartisan but exclusive list of towering figures memorialized there, in a church that tells the story of America on hallowed ground.

Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Jimmy Carter have received state funerals at the gothic-style cathedral. Funeral services have also been held there for Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice, and the moonwalking astronaut Neil Armstrong. The list of notable figures interred at the cathedral includes the author and activist Hellen Keller. Just one president, Woodrow Wilson, is buried there.

The church’s history and tradition, said Wash