On August 25, Senator John McCain passed away in the late afternoon after suffering from a malignant brain tumor, called a glioblastoma, for which he had been treated periodically with radiation and chemotherapy since its discovery in 2017. McCain was a praised war hero, Arizona senator and a two-time contender for President of the United States.

A national memorial service celebrating Mccain’s life was held at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. this past week. Among the attendees for the service were multiple Arizona pro athletes. There were three hand-picked athletes to take part in the ceremony. Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald gave a heartwarming speech while former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan and former Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez served as pallbearers.

The words Fitzgerald shared with the attendees showed the kind of person Senator McCain was and the genuine friendship they shared together. “What made Senator McCain so special was that he cared about the substance of my heart more so than where I came from. While some might find our friendship out of the ordinary, it was a perfect example of what made him an iconic figure of American politics and service to fellow man. He celebrated differences. He embraced humanity, championed what was true and just and saw people for who they were. Yes, ours was an unlikely friendship, but it’s one that I will always cherish.” said Fitzgerald.

McCain attended countless professional and collegiate games in Arizona for more than 20 years, which is how he made such friendships with many of the athletes in the area, including Fitzgerald, Doan and Gonzalez. It is noted that Fitzgerald made a visit to McCain last Christmas and visited the ailing senator at his Sedona ranch earlier this year. These two were so close that Fitzgerald noted in his speech, “I had the privilege of spending time with Senator McCain. Sometimes it was a visit to our practices each other’s homes. Other times, it was him texting and saying, ‘You need to pick it up this Sunday’.”

Following the national service, a small private funeral and burial service was held at his beloved U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. A horse-drawn caisson carrying the senator's casket led a procession of mourners from the academy's chapel to the cemetery after the service. His wife, Cindy, and his children were among those who walked behind the caisson. Included in the procession were family and friends as well as members of McCain's Naval Academy Class of 1958, military leaders and academy midshipmen. As the hearse carrying McCain passed through a gate and onto the academy grounds, there was loud applause from the several hundred people lining the street.

For his final resting place, McCain picked the historic site overlooking the Severn River, not Arlington National Cemetery, where his father and grandfather, both admirals, were buried. McCain wanted to be buried next to his friend, Chuck Larson, and fellow admiral where they reserved four plots for themselves and their wives, so they could, in his words “...be near where it all began.”