A somber-looking Trump family gathered in Manhattan on Friday to say a final farewell to Donald Trump’s sister Maryanne, who died on November 13 at the age of 86.
The 77-year-old former president was accompanied to the church by his wife Melania and his three eldest children – Don Jr, Eric and Ivanka.
About 100 mourners attended the service for the former federal judge at St. Ignatius Loyola Church on the Upper East Side.
The blessing of Trump Barry’s body was carried out by New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
The choir of St. Ignatius Loyola sang “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” as a processional hymn.
Donald and Melania Trump are seen in front of the church on Friday
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were also spotted leaving their late aunt’s Catholic funeral
Trump’s sister, a retired federal judge, died on November 13. She is pictured with her brother in 2008
The Rev. Joseph Parkes, one of 13 priests who attended the service, said Trump Barry was a Catholic convert who went to morning Mass at the church to receive communion every day until he was injured several years ago, according to the statement New York Post.
Parkes, a Jesuit priest, praised Trump Barry’s kind and caring nature.
“She was a very generous woman. The sermon was about the kind of life she led and how she cared for so many people,” he told the newspaper.
“She definitely helped the Jesuits, especially the schools that we run for low-income children. “She was an extraordinarily generous person.”
Parkes said Trump delivered the eulogy to Barry’s son, David Desmond. Desmond told The New York Times that the service was closed to the media.
“The service will be private,” he said. “And we prefer to avoid any press coverage.”
Parkes said Desmond’s eulogy was “beautiful”.
“He spoke for maybe 15 minutes,” Parkes said.
“Cardinal Dolan was here very early, he couldn’t stay, he had another commitment, but he wanted to make sure he showed up to say hello to the family.”
Donald Trump did not speak as Trump Barry had requested.
Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberley Guilfoyle are seen at the service
She was recorded talking to her niece Mary Trump, and the recordings – in which she said she didn’t want him to give a speech at her funeral – were later shared with The Washington Post.
Barry criticized Trump for his eulogy at her father’s memorial service in 1999, saying, “Donald was the only one who didn’t talk about Dad.”
She added: “I don’t want any of my siblings to speak at my funeral.”
“And that’s all about Donald and what he did at Dad’s funeral.” I don’t know. It was all about him.’
Trump was the second youngest of Fred and Mary Trump’s five children: his younger brother Robert died in 2020 at the age of 71.
Maryanne was the oldest of the five.
She leaves behind the former president and her sister Elizabeth Trump Grau, 81.
Earlier this week, Trump paid tribute to his “big sister.”
He said: “A truly beautiful woman, tall and elegant, with a presence like no other, she was also an outstanding student, intellectual and judge, in charge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, just below the U.S. Supreme Court of Justice.
“Her life was mostly problem-free, PERFECT, until I made things difficult for her when I decided to run for president.”
He added: “The Fake News and others attacked her mercilessly, and because she felt it was inappropriate to defend herself given her position, they simply never stopped!”
Trump said his sister was “tough and strong” and “truly missed.”
Barry was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1999 to be a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Trump and Maryanne trusted each other and were close during the years when he was expanding his real estate empire and running for president.
Trump posted a short tribute on his Truth Social account on Friday.
He wrote: “Funeral now.” I love Maryanne. God protect you. Rest in peace!’
Three days ago, Trump announced that his sister had died.
“Although she was tough and strong, she suffered in the years from 2016 until her retirement,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“I’ll never forget how many times people came up to me and said, ‘Your sister was the smartest person in the court.’ That has always honored me.
“But I understood exactly what they meant – they were right!” She was a great judge and a great sister. We’ll really miss her!’
Barry refrained from publicly criticizing Trump, but a series of secretly recorded interviews with a niece, Mary Trump, in 2018 and 2019 revealed her true feelings.
“He has no principles,” she is said to have said in the recordings. ‘No one.’
She added: “It’s the falsehood and the cruelty. ‘Donald is cruel.’
Mary Trump recorded the remarks while working on the 2020 book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.”