On Friday, March 11th, Nancy Reagan was carried in a casket to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California for her funeral. With hundreds of people showing up to remember the former First Lady, the event was a touching and heartfelt way to remember Nancy Reagan’s legacy. Reagan, whose husband died in 2004, leaves behind her two children, Ron Reagan and Patti Davis. Reagan died Sunday, March 6th, due to congestive heart failure at the age of 94.

       During the 90-minute memorial, a range of topics covered Reagan’s life. Remembrance of the love she had for her husband, was one of the many topics. Their love was described as a “love affair” for each other and a “partnership in power,” according to The Washington Post. Between it being mentioned in eulogies, love letters to one another, or statements of love the couple had said throughout their lives, it was no surprise that Nancy Reagan was buried next to her husband, Ronald Reagan.

       Other topics that were touched during the funeral were the achievements Nancy Reagan had throughout her life. She was noted as a “woman full of spunk, class, and tenacity,” according to nbcnews.com. She was a very loving and caring woman, but turned into a model of sternness and fierceness when she became passionate about something. She was known for raising awareness about many issues, such as her campaign, “Just Say No,” an anti-drug campaign. Her fellow ally in the campaign, an American actor, known as Mr. T, attended Reagan’s funeral dressed in full camouflage, combat boots, and an American flag bandana. Other noteworthy people such as Michelle Obama, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Tricia Nixon, and Hillary Clinton also attended out of respect and remembrance for Reagan’s life. Clinton, later made a comment about Nancy Reagan, calling her a, “very effective, low-key” advocate of HIV/AIDS awareness, which later blew up over social media starting a nation-wide controversy. Clinton, realizing the gravity of her comment, quickly apologized a couple days later, saying instead that Mrs. Reagan, started a national conversation at a time when nobody wanted to talk about it.

       This she did by leading the recognition of the disease, and along with her husband, started the conversation on the seriousness of HIV/AIDS. At the time, in the 1980s, no one was ready to talk about the issue, even though it was becoming an increasingly troublesome problem. While some people strongly disagree that either one of the Reagans were truly advocates of the cause, no one can deny that they did initiate something. This is seen especially with the knowledge that Mr. Reagan gave the first speech about the issue in 1987, which a massive amount of awareness to the problem.
       There is, however, no doubt that Nancy Reagan was an advocate of many important issues that the nation faced especially during the times of her husband’s presidency. She raised much awareness in the national community, and will be remembered for that and as a model of strength for the entire country.