A somber-looking Trump family gathered in Manhattan on Friday to say their final goodbyes to Donald Trump’s sister Maryanne, who died on November 13 at the age of 86.
The 77-year-old former president was accompanied at the church by his wife Melania and three eldest children: Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka.
About 100 mourners attended the service for the former federal judge at St. Ignatius Loyola Church on the Upper East Side.
The blessing of Trump Barry’s body was performed by New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
The St. Ignatius Loyola choir sang “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” as a processional hymn.
Donald and Melania Trump are seen outside church on Friday
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were also spotted leaving her late aunt’s Catholic funeral
Trump’s sister, a retired federal judge, died on November 13. She is seen in a photo with her brother in 2008
The Rev. Joseph Parkes, one of 13 priests who participated in the service, said Trump Barry was a Catholic convert who walked to morning Mass at the church every day to receive communion until he suffered an injury a few years ago, according to The New York Post.
Parkes, a Jesuit priest, praised Trump Barry’s kind and caring nature.
‘She was a very generous woman. The homily was about the kind of life she led and caring for so many people,” he told the newspaper.
“She certainly helped the Jesuits, especially the schools we run for low-income children. She was an extremely generous person.”
Parkes said Trump Barry’s son, David Desmond, delivered the eulogy. Desmond told The New York Times that the service would be closed to media.
“The service will be private,” he said. ‘And we prefer to avoid any press reporting.’
Parkes said Desmond’s eulogy was “beautiful.”
“He spoke for maybe 15 minutes,” Parkes said.
“Cardinal Dolan got here very early, he couldn’t stay, he had another commitment, but he wanted to make sure he showed up to say hello to the family.”
Donald Trump did not speak, per Trump Barry’s wishes.
Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberley Guilfoyle are seen at the service
She was recorded speaking to her niece Mary Trump, and the recordings – in which she said she did not want him to address her funeral – were later shared with the WashingtonPost.
Barry criticized Trump for his eulogy at their father’s memorial service in 1999, saying, “Donald was the only one who didn’t talk about Dad.”
She added: “I don’t want any of my siblings to speak at my funeral.
“And that’s all about Donald and what he did at Dad’s funeral. Don’t know. It was all about him.’
Trump was the second-youngest of five children born to Fred and Mary Trump: his younger brother Robert died in 2020 at the age of 71.
Maryanne was the oldest of the five.
She is survived by the former president and her sister Elizabeth Trump Grau, 81.
Trump paid tribute to his ‘big sister’ earlier this week.
He said: ‘A truly beautiful woman, tall and elegant, with a look like no other. She was also a great student, intellectual and judge, in charge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, just below the US. High Council.
“Her life was largely problem-free, PERFECT, until I made things difficult for her when I decided to run for president.”
He added: “The Fake News and others went after her mercilessly, and due to the fact that she felt it inappropriate to defend herself due to her position, it never stopped!”
Trump said his sister was “tough and strong” and would be “really missed.”
Barry was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1999 as a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Trump and Maryanne confided in each other and were close during the years he expanded his real estate empire and ran for president.
Trump posted a short tribute on his Truth Social account on Friday.
He wrote: ‘Funeral now. I love Maryanne. God bless you. Rest in peace!’
Three days ago, Trump revealed that his sister had died.
“Although she was tough and strong, she had to suffer during those years from 2016 until her retirement,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“I’ll never forget the many times people came up to me and said, ‘Your sister was the smartest person at Court.’ I was always honored by that.
‘But I understood exactly what they meant: they were right! She was a great judge and a great sister. She will be truly missed!’
Barry refrained from publicly criticizing Trump, but a series of secretly recorded interviews in 2018 and 2019 with a niece, Mary Trump, revealed her true feelings.
“He has no principles,” she allegedly said in the recordings. ‘No.’
She added: “It’s the fakeness and this cruelty. Donald is cruel.”
Mary Trump had recorded the comments while working on the 2020 book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.”