Droves of funeralgoers flocked into Fallbrook Church Thursday morning to pay their final respects to the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Before the start of the service, attendees waited in line to view her open casket placed in front of the pulpit.
Midway through the service, the casket, adorned with a bouquet of white and pink roses, was closed sparking calls of “Thank you, Sheila!” from one attendee and “Well done, Sheila!” from another. Many of the lawmakers and community leaders who spoke thanked Jackson Lee’s family — husband Dr. Elwyn Lee, and children, Erica Lee Carter and Jason Lee — for sharing the congresswoman with the community.
Earlier in the week, Jackson Lee lay in state at Houston City Hall, only the second person to do so. President Joe Biden came to Houston to pay his respects.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the probable Democratic candidate for President, was one of several speakers who delivered a eulogy, calling Jackson Lee one of the smartest, most strategic legislators in Washington, D.C.
“There was no detail too minor or point of order to obscure,” Harris said. “If it needed to be understood, the congresswoman would make sure it was understood. To know her was to marvel at her mastery of the legislative process.
“She was a force but she never allowed anything to be mediocre,” Harris added. “She always expected in all of us that we would rise to a point of excellence, knowing that life was too short and there’s too much to be done.”
Harris admitted to the crowd that there were times that she would hide from the congresswoman in the hallway because she knew that whatever was on Jackson Lee’s mind would soon become Harris’s job.
Dignitaries in attendance also included former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and attorney Benjamin Crump.
Minutes before the doors opened to the public, Grammy-award-winning singer Stevie Wonder walked in accompanied by his entourage. Later in the service, he sang “I’ll Be Loving You Always” as a tribute to Jackson Lee.
Over 50 U.S. House of Representatives members — Democrats and Republicans — were in attendance at the funeral of the 74-year-old who represented Houston’s 18th congressional district for nearly 30 years. Familiar Texas congressional faces Greg Casar (D-Austin) and Al Green (D-Houston) were among the crowd of politicians. Representative Hakeem Jeffries said their presence indicated how beloved Jackson Lee was in Congress.
“She spoke on stages across the world but sweated while serving in the streets of Houston,” the Reverend Dr. T. Grant told those in attendance. “She walked with kings and did not lose the common touch.”
Representative Jeffries described Jackson Lee as the Michael Jordan of the House Democratic Caucus. He said he learned quickly that “you couldn’t stop her; you could only contain her.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took the opportunity to acknowledge Jackson Lee’s work setting the stage for future female politicians, mentioning Kamala Harris.
“Come next January, when our first woman president takes the oath of office, I will be thinking of Sheila,” Clinton said, wondering aloud what Jackson Lee would wear for the occasion.
Former President Bill Clinton reflected on the last phone call he shared with Jackson Lee. Clinton appeared to choke up, telling the crowd that the congresswoman told him life was funny. She had questioned Clinton whether the recent mayoral race went how it was supposed to.
Before Clinton could follow up on his remark, an attendee called out, “No!” from the crowd. He said Jackson Lee dispelled his concerns about Jackson Lee taking over former Representative Barbara Jordan’s — who left large shoes to fill — easily.
“Now we have a hand to play,” Clinton motioned to her casket. “Without our friend, but if you are a person of faith, you know she is there preparing her scorecard. Soon, she will be hovering over us.”
Sharpton said the congresswoman was not scared like other politicians or just happy to be in the room. She would force her foot and the issues she cared about in the door.
“No matter what room she was in, she changed the room,” Sharpton added. “If we were not on the agenda, she put us on the agenda.”
Other speakers included former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis.
Turner characterized Jackson Lee as an “ambassador on a special assignment” and thanked her for “bringing the world to the 18th congressional district.
Hidalgo said she was initially taken aback by the congresswoman’s approach. However, she noted that she quickly learned that Jackson Lee was a woman who existed as herself in a realm of life that wanted her to be anything but that.
“She had an abundance of toughness, and she wasn’t afraid to show it as a woman,” Hidalgo added. “I’ve made a handful of friends — at least I think I have — and the loss of my friend Sheila Jackson Lee has left a hole in my heart.”
Echoing the sentiment of many speakers, Hidalgo wished for more time with the congresswoman.
Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, who ran for Jackson Lee’s seat against the congresswoman in March, and Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth were among the attendees.
Carter and Jason Lee gave funeralgoers an intimate insight into the congresswoman’s final moments. Carter donned her mother’s cape and scarf and read remarks from her grandchildren, concluding simply by saying, “Thank you, Mommy.”
Jackson Lee died on July 19 about a month after announcing a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Her son told those in the audience that the congresswoman’s doctor had told the family that he had not seen someone live for so many days in the condition she was in. Knowing that her time was coming soon, he said he contacted Jackson Lee’s trusted confidantes and colleagues — giants for a giant — so she could “receive her flowers” over the phone.
On the last day the congresswoman was alive Jason told attendees he asked Carter to go home because Jackson Lee “loved her too much” to die in front of her. At this point, Carter started to cry on stage.
It was not until Jason reiterated to Jackson Lee that she had been a good mother that the congresswoman took her last breath. “I will not be greater than the generation before me, and that is okay because the bar was set so high, and there is so much to achieve,” he said.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
