Thousands came out to pay their respects for the lady larger than life who passed of natural causes last week at the age of 98.  She fell ill and was hospitalized at Howard University Hospital.

Dr. Height was perhaps the oldest female civil rights activist until her death.  President Obama, visibly emotional, provided a tribute honoring her for her work.

"It is fitting that we do so here, in our National Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Here, in a place of great honor. Here, in the House of God. Surrounded by the love of family and of friends. The love in this sanctuary is a testament to a life lived righteously; a life that lifted other lives; a life that changed this country for the better over the course of nearly one century here on Earth."

Adding that the works for Dr. Height, and others helped change the fabric of America.

"It’s hard to imagine, I think, life in the first decades of that last century when the elderly woman that we knew was only a girl. Jim Crow ruled the South. The Klan was on the rise -- a powerful political force. Lynching was all too often the penalty for the offense of Black skin. Slaves had been freed within living memory, but too often, their children, their grandchildren remained captive, because they were denied justice and denied equality, denied opportunity, denied a chance to pursue their dreams."

"But progess followed", added the President.

"Progress that so many of you helped to achieve, progress that ultimately made it possible for Michelle and me to be here as President and First Lady -- that progress came slowly", recounted the President to cathedral-filled applause from attendees, that included many congressional members.

BeBe Winans sang We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder, and the popular song, Stand. Opera star Denyce Graves sang Great Is Thy Faithfulness, and harpist Jeff Majors performed Psalm 23. Poet Maya Angelou, arriving in a wheelchair, provided a reading from Psalm 139:1-17.
 
Dr. Height was working on a new book, Living With Purpose, due out this year.  She also authored Open Wide The Freedom Gates, the memoirs of her career and life as a lady who was on the battlefield for justice equally for African Americans and women. 

A public memorial was held at Shiloh Baptist Church on Tuesday where hundreds also came out to celebrate the life of this amazing individual. The family writes in a letter thanking well-wishers, " We are comforted by the wonderful expresions of love many of you extended to us in this time of need.  For 98 years God put Dorothy in our lives, and each of us is the better for it.  Her love of NCNW and her many accomplishments are legeendary."

 

Dr. Height's family praised her for her committment to family, remembering birthdays, attending marriages, and present at the birth of children.

 

"She would take time for our graduations, help write speeches, admonish us when we needed to be better and stand with us when necessary.  She loved family and reveled in her status as "the matriach".
 
Photo gallery.

 

Photos: Memorial Service (Shiloh Baptist Church)

Dr. Height At The White House