SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — President Joe Biden paid a visit to his home in Scranton, for the funeral of his longtime friend; Lackawanna County native Thomas Bell.
The service took place at St. Paul's church in Scranton; the two attended St Paul's school nearby.
Biden arrived at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport at 10:15 a.m
He soon made his way to St. Paul's Church, where he went in to deliver an emotional eulogy for his longtime childhood friend, Thomas Bell.
Biden describes his friend "Tommy" as a friend with a special heart who always put a light in your heart and said he was Larger than life.
Biden noted how the two enjoyed spending time together as children, going to the movies and climbing trees.
He describes how supportive Bell was even as a child, and how that support carried on into adulthood.
The two remained close, and Biden noted that Bell had an incredible impact on people and an incredible impact on Biden's family.
He said that if he had to define bell in a single word: it would be "Character."
In a public statement, the president said of Bell:
In building their great American life, Tommy took genuine pride in the success of his family, community, and our nation. He returned love with boundless loyalty. He was a man of honor, decency, and grace. A man of utmost character.Tommy embodied a simple truth about our nation. There is nothing ordinary about being an American. We are extraordinary. Tommy was extraordinary.President Joseph Biden
Biden left the church just before 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon.
