Dr. Spock Remembered
A New Orleans-style memorial service was held for America's best known baby doctor, Dr. Benjamin Spock, in La Jolla, Calif., on Friday.
Family and friends and fans gathered at Saint James By-the-Sea Episcopal Church to remember the man who helped revolutionize parenting in the post war baby-boom generation.
A day before the services, Spock's widow Mary Morgan found a note Spock wrote saying he did not want a sad funeral. So Morgan hired a Dixieland band and planned a funeral march to follow the church service.
As the procession made its way down the street, Morgan led the upbeat march, during which she climbed onto the hearse and danced to the music.
She said this was a joyous day, a celebration of the way Spock lived and died.
Since 1946, Spock's Baby and Child Care has sold more than 50 million copies in 42 languages. The book is second only to the Bible as the best-selling book in U.S. history.
Spock died last Sunday of respiratory failure at the age of 94 at his home in La Jolla, Calif.
When asked what Dr. Spock would think of his funeral, Morgan replied "Oh he would love it, he is loving it."
Staying true to Spock's wishes, the audience sang The Battle Hymn Republic and America the Beautiful.
Spock's family plans to cremate his body, and scatter his ashes at a family plot in Maine.
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