Photo by Eric Ayres Family, friends and community members gathered at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Wheeling on Monday to pay final respects to former Congressman David B. McKinley.

WHEELING — Family, friends and members of the community gathered in Wheeling Monday to pay their respects to former Congressman David B. McKinley, who was remembered not only for his decades of public service but also for his love for his family and his home state of West Virginia.

Hundreds gathered at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in downtown Wheeling for McKinley’s memorial service. McKinley died April 17 at the age of 79.

Known as one of the most bipartisan legislators during his time in Washington, McKinley earned the respect of people on both sides of the political aisle, and mourners from all walks of life came to the service to remember his life and legacy.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey and several state and local dignitaries were in attendance at the downtown church, where The Ven. Joshua Saxe delivered the sermon.

His son, David H. McKinley, and eldest grandson, Jackson Boyle, delivered eulogies, sharing personal stories that evoked both tears and smiles. They pulled back the curtain to reveal the character and quirks of a family man who applied his values to both his professional and political careers.

“Although we’ve always had so much respect for his work as Congressman McKinley, we simply loved and knew him as Papa,” said Boyle, speaking on behalf of McKinley’s six grandchildren.

Boyle said his grandfather was an excellent listener who found a way to connect with everyone on an individual level — from family members to constituents to fellow legislators. All of his grandchildren had a unique and special connection to him, including his grandson Maxwell, who has special needs.

“Papa also showed up as a strong champion of people with disabilities in Congress, no doubt inspired by his grandson,” he said.

The family also got to see his lighthearted side, Boyle said.

“His laughter filled the room,” he noted. “His energy was contagious.

“Papa was an incredible public servant with an amazing legacy. He was so much more than that. Papa was someone who loved West Virginia, who loved his family and who deeply loved each of us.”

David H. McKinley said his father, despite his high-profile work in Washington and his world travels, always reminded them he was “just an engineer from Wheeling.”

“He meant it, and that’s what made him effective,” David H. McKinley said.

His son said his engineering background made him an analytical problem-solver by nature, shaping both how he built his business and how he raised his children.

“For an engineer who spent his career building things in West Virginia, he was restless to make sure his children understood the scale of what was possible,” David H. McKinley said. “He showed up. He listened.”

The seventh-generation West Virginian yearned to better understand the people around him, whether family or constituents, his son said.

Early in his career in the 1980s, he was a Republican before the GOP held a major majority, the younger McKinley noted.

“He believed what he believed before it was popular, and he fought for it,” he said. “And for anyone who needs to be reminded — building anything worthwhile requires courage, sacrifice and time.”

McKinley had a strong character and firm convictions, his son said, adding there are many reasons his wife Mary was known to many as “St. Mary.”

“My father timed sermons,” David H. McKinley said. “Ten minutes was the standard. Anything beyond that was the speaker’s ego getting in the way of the message. Today, I intend to honor that, and I know that somewhere — right now — he’s watching the clock.”

During Monday’s ceremony, introductory readings were offered by McKinley’s other children — Bennett McKinley, Elizabeth Boyle and Amy McKinley.

“He encouraged all of us to get into public service, not to be somebody, but to do something,” David H. McKinley said. “He made that distinction clear and often. Each of us, his children, in our own ways, heard that.”

In his retirement, McKinley enjoyed spending time at the historic family estate, Willow Glen, where he engaged in therapeutic activities like splitting wood. His son said it was a form of exercise and stress relief.

“It was a man returning to what he knew best — taking something raw and making it useful,” David H. McKinley said. “In this case, it was preparing warmth and ambiance for the people he loved. That’s who he was. He was a steward. He was a builder. He was a father who showed up. A West Virginian to his last breath who died at Willow Glen, exactly where he would have wanted to be.”

David H. McKinley said they are all better for having been influenced and inspired by the man their father was.

Following the memorial Eucharist, interment took place at Greenwood Cemetery.