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four-hour viewing period.
• "There's not that many people I would drive that far for," Barnard said. "McGovern was a deeply moral and principled leader for us in the 60s and 70s."
• Francis and Nancy McGowan of Sioux Falls, both retired, said they attended the viewing because they held McGovern in high esteem because he cared for people.
• "We're thankful for his service," Nancy McGowan said. "The world is a better place because he was here, not only for his wisdom as a politician but also for his caring and feeding of the hungry."
• Some mourners sat down in the pews after filing past McGovern's coffin, and reflected as photos of McGovern flashed on screens. Some showed him during his 1972 campaign, others in his World War II Army uniform and others with his wife Eleanor, who died five years ago. One showed him hunched in a field with the words "Prairie Populist" in a corner.
• Outside the church, a couple dozen members of the Patriot Guard stood on freshly fallen snow next to U.S. flags flapping in a cold wind. They were there to honor McGovern's World War II-era military service even though he was defined more by his anti-war stances later in life.
• Jim Lentsch, a retired sheriff from Salem, S.D., referred to the senator simply as "George," a testament to the personal connection the small-state politician had with his former constituents.
• "I grew up in South Dakota, I guess l've known him for years," Lentsch said, applauding McGovern's commitment to society's most needy and dedication to the college in his native Mitchell, S.D.
• Thelma Moberly began to cry as she walked past the casket. Moberly, 85, and her husband Richard were good friends with the McGovern family. When Richard Moberly died in 1995, George McGovern called her from Washington to express his condolences.
• "I just thought that was a beautiful gesture of kindness and caring. But that was George," Thelma Moberly said. "He was such a kind man to us. We're better because of him."
• The two days of remembrance for the liberal lion will include some of South Dakota's highest ranking officials from both sides of the political spectrum. Sen. John Thune, Rep. Kristi Noem and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, all Republicans, have confirmed they plan to attend. Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was scheduled to speak at the Thursday evening prayer service that Biden was attending.
• A larger memorial service was set for Friday, also in Sioux Falls. McGovern is to be buried at a later date at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington.

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