Thousands Pay Respects to Coretta Scott King

Recalling the threats and bombings aimed at intimidating her husband, and the rifle shot in Memphis that ultimately ended his life, Bush said, "Rarely has so much been asked of a pastor's wife, and rarely has so much been taken away."

Before introducing Bush, the pastor of the church, Bishop Eddie L. Long, said that because of Coretta Scott King, "We are all in a better place, doing better things. Doors have been opened."

He quoted her as telling him once that when she married Martin Luther King Jr., she understood that "I did not marry just a man. I married a vision. I married a destiny."

An estimated 10,000 mourners attended the funeral at the church just east of Atlanta. In addition to Bush, first lady Laura Bush and the three former presidents, more than a dozen U.S. senators and numerous other dignitaries from the worlds of politics, civil rights, entertainment and literature attended the ceremony.

Thousands of other people lined up outside the church but were unable to enter after an announcement was made that it was filled to capacity.

"Who could have brought this crowd together but Coretta," said Lowery, the former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

"She was the quintessential African American woman," said Maya Angelou, the renowned poet and longtime friend of Coretta Scott King. "She was born a cornflower and destined to become a steel magnolia."

Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. "led a successful battle to alleviate the suffering of blacks and other minorities," said Carter. "In promoting civil rights in our own country, they enhanced human rights in all nations."

Former president George H.W. Bush said, "Our world is a kinder and gentler place because of Coretta Scott King."

Former president Clinton, who is widely popular among African Americans, told the gathering, "I don't want us to forget that there's a woman in there." Gesturing toward the casket containing her remains, he said King is more than "a symbol" who embodies her husband's legacy.

"What are we going to do with the rest of our lives?" he asked. "You want to treat our friend Coretta like a role model? Then model her behavior."

Sen. Clinton said, "She has passed, but we must take up her burden. We'll have to split it up, because it was a heavy burden to bear. But together, we can carry it. We can carry on the struggle against racism and discrimination."

Among others who spoke were Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.)

Mourners began lining up before 3 a.m. to pay their last respects to Coretta Scott King as her casket lay in a chapel this morning at the huge, 25,000-member church.

Thousands of others had filed by her casket as she lay in honor at the Georgia Capitol over the weekend -- the first woman and the first African American accorded such an honor there -- and at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Monday. The Ebenezer church was where her husband was baptized, where he preached alongside his father in the 1960s and where his funeral was held after he was assassinated.