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Melissa and Mark Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota state capitol rotunda on Friday.
Their wooden caskets, and Gilbert’s golden urn with pawprints on it, were surrounded by trees and ferns, a nod to the greenery Melissa, an avid gardener and advocate for the environment, held dear in her personal life and in her governance.
The Hortmans were killed by a politically motivated assassin who posed as a police officer and came to their home, and the homes of other lawmakers, injuring another and his wife. The killings and subsequent manhunt unsettled the state.
On Friday, Minnesotans lined up by the hundreds outside and inside the state capitol to pay their respects. One by one, they moved toward the rotunda. Many wiped away tears. Others did the sign of the cross. Some put their hands on their hearts. The mourners included former president Joe Biden.
Some brought their children, waiting in line patiently to say goodbye. Many carried flowers – daffodils, daisies, zinnias, roses. Golden retrievers sat outside the doors of the capitol, waiting people to pet them and to comfort those who came to grieve.
A second line waited to drop off flowers and other items of remembrance at a memorial upstairs near the House chambers. There, thousands of flowers decorated a hallway of tables. Interspersed were dog treats, stuffed animals and hundreds of notes from people who told the Hortmans what they meant to Minnesota.
One photo left at the memorial shows Hortman behind a lectern with the presidential seal, noting that she was one of a group of state lawmakers invited to Washington by then-president Barack Obama. “I can’t comprehend her being gone, but I’m realizing how much I loved her,” wrote the person who left the photo.
“Remembering your strong leadership for low-income Minnesotans and your dedication to policies so that all people have a home,” one sign said.
“Melissa is our hero,” wrote another.
Melissa is the first woman in Minnesota history to lie in state at the Capitol. She joins a long list of Minnesota governing greats – a list her colleagues say she deserves to be on for her accomplishments. Tim Walz, the governor, has called her the “most consequential House speaker in state history”.
One man got to the capitol at 6.30am to wait for the doors to open at noon, he told Minnesota Public Radio. Mike Starr said he once was hosted by the Hortmans at their home and wanted to pay his respects and show thanks for everything Melissa had done for the state.
“She stood up for the people and that she didn’t spin the story, she didn’t mislead people,” Starr said. “She let you know who she was. And you know, when she said something, she meant it.”
Some came from out of state to say goodbye. Debra Lehrmann, Texas supreme court justice and a friend of the Hortmans, came to the capitol, according to the Star Tribune. “Melissa is the kind of person you’re drawn to,” she told the paper.
In the days since her death, her friends and colleagues – and those who didn’t personally know her, but felt her impact – have shared what she meant to them. They cited an ability to bring people together and find common ground alongside a whip-smart intellect and a witty sense of humor.
Above all, she cared about Minnesota – and Minnesota cared back.
