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Marty Klinkenberg

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They came to the cradle of Acadia on Friday to remember Roméo LeBlanc, to the towering sandstone church in Memramcook where he was baptized, hundreds upon hundreds of government officials and dignitaries and plain, ordinary folks.

Stephen Harper was there, and so were Michaëlle Jean and Michael Ignatieff, and so many others that the streets where Roméo LeBlanc once walked to elementary school in homemade shoes were jammed.

It was a tribute and an outpouring and a sad farewell to the only francophone appointed governor general, a cabinet minister, senator, confidante to Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, and beloved New Brunswicker.

Nearly 1,100 people packed the Saint Thomas Church for the first state funeral in the province's history, an event that brought pomp and circumstance and hundreds of soldiers and Mounties and flowers from Her Majesty The Queen to a rural village that is unaccustomed to such ceremony.

Fisheries officers lined the procession route as a military band played The Death March and LeBlanc's casket, draped in a Canadian flag, was placed in a silver hearse and driven from the Memramcook Institute where he lay in state to the ornate cathedral that serves as the seat of the oldest Acadian parish in New Brunswick.

Spectators watched from lawns, stores and the edge of the road as the cortege crept past, with LeBlanc's bereaved family walking a few steps behind, followed by the current governor general and the prime minister. A group of 32 honourary pallbearers that included Jean and Aline Chrétien, Marc Lalonde, Justin Trudeau, Shawn Graham and Donald Savoie flanked the hearse as it slowly made its way down the street.

Some people, like Victor Poirier, waited for hours, in his case standing solemnly and holding a Canadian flag.

"I am from Memramcook and I know what he did for us," Poirier said. "If you can't give thanks to the people who take care of you, you are not worth much."

The longest-serving fisheries minister in Canadian history, LeBlanc was eulogized during the 90-minute service by the man who appointed him, Chrétien, scholar Naomi Griffiths and his son, Dominic, a member of Parliament who now represents constituents who were once represented by his dad.

During the service, three wreaths hung in front of the altar, one from the People of Canada, one from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and the other from the Government of Canada.

Harper sat at the front of the church, beside Lt.-Gov. Herménégilde Chiasson, across the aisle from the LeBlanc family.

Other luminaries in attendance included former New Brunswick premier and Canadian ambassador Frank McKenna, Defence Minister Peter McKay and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine.

"Roméo, you were the first New Brunswicker and Acadian to be named governor general, and you made everyone very proud."

Before the service, Fontaine lauded LeBlanc for his interest in aboriginal affairs and he read from the Scriptures during the Mass.

"He had a very good understanding of aboriginal people,'' Fontaine said earlier. "He understood the challenges we face, and he talked about his strong desire to make things better.

"I think that is how he would like to be remembered."

Dominic LeBlanc remembered his father as a loving parent and great public servant.

"The country has lost a devoted Canadian who did his best to serve with humility and passion,'' he said during his eulogy. "Many of you have lost a dear friend and my sister and I have lost our father.

"Dad, we love you."

Then, Dominic stepped down from the podium, laid one hand on the casket and bowed his head.

A few minutes later, his father was carried from the church by eight military pallbearers, the flag atop his coffin was presented to his daughter, Genevieve, and his medals were handed to his son.

A bugler played The Last Post and, with rounds booming from a 21-gun salute, his casket was gently placed back in the hearse for a short ride to the cemetery.

A gust of wind rustled leaves on maple trees, in the distance a train whistle blew, rain pelted down and a great Canadian and beloved New Brunswicker was laid to rest.

Marty Klinkenberg is contributing editor of the Telegraph-Journal.

He can be reached at martyklinkenberg@hotmail.com.