Deaver remembered at National Cathedral

Republican glitterati, PR magnates and nonprofit workers were among the more than 400 mourners who gathered Thursday at the National Cathedral to bid farewell to a man who helped turn a president into an icon.

Michael K. Deaver is best known for his work as President Reagan’s deputy chief of staff, but during the memorial service eulogizers painted a picture of a man as dedicated to people as he was to power.

{mosads}The executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit Clean & Sober Streets, Henry Pierce, credited Deaver with helping him get his life back on track when he arrived at the center he now runs as a drug abuser in the early 1990s.

Former Reagan Chief of Staff and Secretary of State James Baker III remembered a hardworking man who loved life until he succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Aug. 18 at age 69. Baker recalled a time when Reagan was asked whether he thought of Deaver like a son. Reagan replied, “No, not really. More as a brother.”

The president and chief executive of Edelman public relations, Richard Edelman, also spoke during the service.

Among those in attendance were former first lady Nancy Reagan, Vice President Dick Cheney, White House counselor Ed Gillespie and singer Johnny Mathis.