Junior Seau: Mourners Gather For California Funeral

Junior Seau‘s funeral took place on Friday in Oceanside, California at Calvary Chapel. The former NFL player’s casket was draped with a traditional Samoan cover, as well as aqua and white flowers.

USA Today reports that as he stood behind the casket, Miles McPherson, the service officiator, told the room, which was filled to capacity, that:

“I wanted to punch this podium. We shouldn’t be in this room today. We love him.”

Seau, who died tragically of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was remembered as a loving father, husband, son, brother and friend. McPherson went on to say that:

“Junior is in a place better than we’ve ever been. He is good. The pain is over.”

Henry Lindley, a second cousin to the former NFL star, told NBC New York that:

“He passed and of course everybody’s going to miss him. He had a great impact on everybody, anybody he met. He was the pride of Oceanside. He was the pride of Samoa.”

Eni Faleomavaega, America Samoa’s representative to the U.S. Congress, and a friend of Junior Seau, also spoke at the memorial service, stating that the star manifested the Samoan “way of the warrior” both as a football player and as a philanthropist. He stated:

“There’s no such thing as going half-way. You go all the way.”

Cameron Mitchell, who works for the Boys and Girls Club, stated of the service that:

“It was actually a joyous occasion. It was a going home celebration more than a somber moment.”

McPherson ended the service by telling mourners that they should not ask God why he took Seau so early. He declared:

“It’s way above our pay grade. We have to trust Him. It’s just something we don’t understand, and you know what? Frankly, a lot of what we don’t understand is not our business.”

Junior Seau was 43 when he passed away at his home in Oceanside, California.

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