SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A prayer service to honor former U.S. Sen. and three-time presidential candidate George McGovern ended with mourners clapping and singing along to a popular folk song by Woody Guthrie.
Hundreds of people stood up from their pews and sang along as the band East of Westreville (WEST-uhr-ville) performed “This Land Is Your Land” during a prayer service for McGovern, who died at age 90 on Sunday in Sioux Falls.
Mourners simultaneously wept while clapping and singing along to the five-member band. The band was a favorite of McGovern’s.
McGovern’s funeral is to begin at 1 p.m. Friday at the Washington Pavilion.