Betty Ford's body in Michigan for 2nd service

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (AP) — Betty Ford returned to the city where the former first lady grew up, as hundreds lined the streets in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum as her casket arrived for a memorial service.

The service was followed by a public viewing Wednesday at the museum, where Ford's flower–draped casket laid, surrounded by an honor guard and with a softly lit presidential seal overhead. At least 300 mourners had paid their respects Wednesday evening halfway through the four–hour viewing, which followed a similar, and sometimes tearful, send–off by thousands of well–wishers in California earlier in the day.

Ford, the accidental first lady, was thrust into the White House when Richard Nixon resigned as president on Aug. 9, 1974, and her husband, then vice president, assumed the nation's highest office. Although she always said she never expected nor wanted to be first lady, she quickly embraced the role.

After another memorial service Thursday in Michigan, Ford is to be buried next to her husband on the grounds of his presidential museum. Gerald Ford died in 2006.

Hundreds of mourners greeted the casket as it arrived at the museum from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. They then slowly walked by Ford's mahogany casket covered in pink and white flowers.

A private ceremony attended by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (News - Alert) and other dignitaries was held at the museum prior to the public viewing. On Tuesday, a service at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, California, was attended by 800 people, including former President George W. Bush and first lady Michelle Obama.

Steve Avink of nearby Jenison had watched the ceremonies when Gerald Ford's casket returned to Grand Rapids for burial in January 2007 and was at the airport Wednesday when Betty Ford's casket arrived from California.

Like hundreds of others in Michigan, Avink wanted to pay his respects. He praised Betty Ford's "openness about drugs and addiction."

Thousands of people have signed condolence books in Grand Rapids for Ford since Saturday.

In California, the hearse carrying Ford's body drove through desert resort cities as people lined the streets and hoisted American flags to say goodbye to the beloved former first lady, who died Friday at age 93. Some wiped tears from their eyes.

"The family was overwhelmed with the number of people," family spokeswoman Barbara Lewandrowski said. "They are so heartfelt and grateful."

Thousands more turned out for Wednesday's motorcade, including people who sat along the route in beach chairs, some shirtless in the warm, sunny weather.

A dozen senior citizens seated in wheelchairs held up a sign reading "Monterey Palms Healthcare" as the hearse passed by. In front of Rancho Mirage Fire Station No. 1, firefighters stood outside, with emergency lights blinking on their vehicles.

During Tuesday's service, former first lady Rosalynn Carter and journalist Cokie Roberts, among others, hailed Ford as a force of nature whose boundless energy and enthusiasm, coupled with a steadfast determination to do what was right, pushed the country toward a commitment to equal rights for women and other causes.

Her candidness, unheard of at the time, helped bring such previously taboo subjects as breast cancer into the public discussion as she openly discussed her own battle with the disease. She was equally outspoken about her struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, and her spearheading of the creation of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage to treat those diseases has benefited thousands.

"Millions of women are in her debt today and she was never afraid to speak the truth even about the most sensitive subjects, including her own struggle with alcohol and pain killers," Carter said. "She got some criticism, but I thought she was wonderful and her honesty gave to others every single day."

Behind the scenes she was also aggressive and effective, said Roberts, who noted that Ford's late husband confided to her privately that his wife badgered him relentlessly into stronger public support of equal rights for women.

Other mourners who packed the church included former California first lady Maria Shriver, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Ford's four children. Former first lady Barbara Bush is expected to attend Thursday's service in Michigan.

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