Many Watched Schaefer's Funeral On TV Or Online
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- His was a life spent in the public eye. Barrels of ink and years of broadcast time were devoted to covering his ideas.
Now Mike Schuh has more on his final exit from the spotlight.
At the end of the day, people were interested in William Donald Schaefer because he was not only a leader but a character. He was a perfect example of "It's not what you say, but how you say it."
He was always out in the public. While the details of his triumphs and failures would play out in print, it was the man you'd see on TV who cemented our memory that this man is a character to remember.
Wednesday, people turned their backs on the streets he loved to step closer to the TV sets, tuned to events happening downtown.
At Jimmy's in Fells Point, the mayor's favorite breakfast was prepared and his chair was empty, but he was still in the room.
"This was his table. This is where he held his meetings with all his friends, so we set it up for him today in tribute," said Jimmy Filipidis.
At the next table over were police officers Vincent Stevenson and James Ellison, who say Schaefer always had time for them.
"He's right here, sitting in this seat right here," Stevenson said.
"Wherever you go, he left his footprint," Ellison said.
"He said it, he did it. A lot of people say they're gonna do, then this happens, that happens. This man here did it," Sevenson said.
And that's why they're here. They took an early lunch, not for the food, but for their memories and what they can see on television.
"I just thought it would be good to give him his honor for what he's done for our city and state," Ellison said.
"I feel honored...to have known such a man. He's a giant," Stevenson said.
At the library, just blocks from the service, people watched on a big screen.
Larry Jackson says the mayor didn't overlook his rough and tough neighborhood.
"We didn't have nobody to speak out for us in our 'hood, but Schaefer always thought out about the people in our neighborhood," Jackson said.
"I would think he was the last of the heroes," said Geno Langellello.
Simply put, Schaefer was an ordinary man who managed to do extraordinary things.
"He was you, he was me, he was a normal person. He wasn't just the governor or the mayor, he was a normal, down-to-earth person and he got it done. He got it done and we owe thanks," said Stevenson.
Schaefer was never married and had no kids. As one watcher put it, this city was his family.
