Former mayor Kevin H. White remembered for putting Boston on a ‘path to greatness’

By Martin Finucane and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Kevin H. White was remembered today with plaudits, prayers, and even wisecracks during an emotional funeral Mass for the former Boston mayor who was a major political force from the 1960s into the 1980s.

The mayor in a 1979 photo (Joseph Dennerhy/Globe File Photo)

The funeral service at St. Cecilia’s Church, which was packed with current and former state and Boston elected officials, as well as other prominent citizens, came after a motorcade took White’s casket through the city he is credited with transforming, past the State House, City Hall, and his Beacon Hill home.

Mark White, one of the mayor’s five children, received a standing ovation from mourners at the service after he spoke of his father’s “incandescent’’ smile and a personality that lit up both the White family home -- and the city.

“He was quite simply the most interesting, imaginative, fun, and loving father -- and friend -- a son could ever have,’’ Mark White said. “I shall miss him dearly.’’

As the crowd applauded, former state treasurer Robert Crane, a friend of Kevin White’s for some 55 years, made his way to the altar to deliver his eulogy.

“That, perhaps, is the biggest hand I’ve ever gotten in my life,’’ Crane quipped, drawing sustained laughter.

Crane described White as someone whose reputation for “haughtiness” was undeserved because the White he knew cared deeply about his wife, Kathryn, about his children, and about the city.

Crane mused aloud what his friend would want him to say in the eulogy, and concluded that White would have wanted him to tell his wife of 55 years how much he had loved her, and how much he appreciated her help during their life together, even when, in later years, he fell ill with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Never once did you give into fear, frustration or fatigue,’’ he told her as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Never once did you complain. ... Never once a trace of despair. You were magnificent. You were fantastic. You were his Florence Nightingale. You were his angel.’’ She received a standing ovation from the packed church.

Near the close of his speech, Crane recalled that White once told him that Boston had not been the same since Boston Bruins great Bobby Orr had left the city.

Crane then said, “The town won’t be the same without Kevin.’’

Pausing theatrically for a moment, he added: “I’ve got a note here that says it will be better [and] it’s signed by Tom Menino.’’

The crowed roared with laughter.

Earlier, Menino, the current mayor, told mourners that White was a mentor who had helped him when he first was elected to the City Council in 1984.

“We are here to celebrate a great life. All of Boston joins the White family in their grief,’’ Menino said.

“It is true, he is gone. ... But weren’t we lucky to have him? Does anyone doubt that Boston was put on a path of greatness by Mayor White?’’ he asked.

Menino said that one of his irst calls after he became mayor was to White. Menino recalled beginning the conversation by saying “Mayor White, this is Tom Menino.’’

White replied: “Wait a minute. Hold it. I’m Kevin. I’m not Mr. Mayor, you are.’’

Menino added, “That’s when I started believing in myself.’’

US Representative Barney Frank, one of dozens of people who credit White with the launching their careers in politics, government, and other fields, said the former mayor was tied to the city of his youth, but also was someone who wanted to see a better Boston.

“He always remembered where he came from, but he also knew where we should be going,’’ Frank said. “His great success was that he was a transformational figure without being a disruptive one.’’

Frank drew laughter and applause when he described White as a blunt-speaking politician, unlike some current presidential candidates he did not identify by name, “because I don’t want to endanger the tax exemption of this church.’’

Both Menino and Frank credited White with keeping Boston calm after the 1968 murder of the Rev. Martin Luther King.

“Because of him, unlike so many other big cities in America, Boston kept the peace,” Menino said. He also lauded White for reaching out to the city’s neighborhoods during his years in office.

White died last week at 82 after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2003. He was mayor from 1968-1984 and has been credited with helping to transform Boston into a world-class city. At the same time, he faced tough challenges as he led the city through the busing crisis and the social tumult of the Vietnam War era.

Earlier today, buses and limousines filled with White’s family and friends were escorted by Boston police on motorcycles through downtown and past Faneuil Hall where a brief stop was made in front of the statute of White.

As the funeral entourage neared the church, the hearse passed underneath a giant American flag strung between two Boston Fire department ladder trucks. The Boston Police Gaelic Column led the procession to the church.

White’s casket was covered by a city flag, a field of blue with the seal of the city at its center.

A wake for White, a longtime Beacon Hill resident, was held Tuesday at the Parkman House, a Beacon Hill mansion that White transformed into a second home with $600,000 in tax money and private contributions during his years in office.

White’s widow, Kathryn, took the time to personally thank every person who came to her husband’s wake, a process that left his mother exhausted, her son Chris said this morning.

“When her hand wasn’t working, she started hugging people,’’ Chris White said..

Among those who saw the procession off in front of the Parkman House was Bob Matson, a long-time Beacon Hill neighbor of the Whites who also worked for White’s Little City Halls program.

“The first time that I saw him a year ago when he was very ill – it just brought tears to my eyes,’’ Matson said.

Matson held a green White campaign T-shirt and hugged White’s daughter, Caitlin, who wore a locket made of a gold coin embossed with the city’s’ seal. Her father was to be buried wearing cufflinks with the same design on them.

“It means a lot to have the neighborhood out for my dad,’’ she said. “After he got sick, everybody was here for him on the Hill. His world became smaller, but it was a wonderful community.”

Noah Bierman, Milton J. Valencia, Eric Moskowitz, Meghan E. Irons, Martine Powers and Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff contributed to this report.