A funeral was held in England on Saturday for Captain Sir Tom Moore, a World War II veteran who became a hero of the coronavirus pandemic.
An overflight of the Royal Air Force, usually reserved for royalty, heads of state and war heroes, was carried out for the 100-year-old, who died earlier this month after testing positive for coronavirus. His coffin was also covered with a Union Jack and was carried by members of the Armed Forces.
Members of Moore’s immediate family attended the private service and were broadcast online. When she remembered her father, Lucy Teixeira, Moore’s daughter spoke of her childish charm, her sense of humor, and the impact she left behind.
“Dad, I’m very proud of you,” he said, “What you’ve achieved all your life and especially over the last year. Maybe you’re gone but your message and your spirit continue.”
Moore became a war hero in the last year of his life. It captured the hearts of millions of people around the world in 2020 when it walked 100 laps in its garden to raise money for Britain’s National Health Service.
He originally set out to raise £ 1,000 (about $ 1,300), but ended up raising more than £ 33 million (over $ 40 million) after the videos of his walks went viral and reached millions of people who were in home during the first wave of the pandemic.
His fundraising efforts earned him fame, admiration and cavalry for Queen Elizabeth in July.
Moore spoke with CBS News foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata last September about a seven-figure film deal he signed with his daughter to make a movie of his life, though he went to say he wasn’t ready for the Hollywood Walk of Fame yet.
“Whatever the outcome, I never plan to get to America and put my hands on a piece of wet concrete somewhere,” Moore said.
This was one of the few moments Moore did not live through. In an epilogue to his book, which he wrote about his inevitable passage, Captain Tom wrote, “Life will go on, babies will be born and people will end up forgetting about Captain Tom.”
But Moore added for a time, however, that he would be remembered for the last years of his life rather than those that happened before. He said he only wanted a small white tombstone to mark his existence, in his words: nothing too elegant.