Friends honor former mayor

There were somber moments Saturday at the celebration of Frank McCloskey's life, but the Buskirk-Chumley Theater was not all tears.\nFriends, family and community leaders spoke about McCloskey's life, sang Irish songs and quoted Irish proverbs. A documentary video took a light-hearted look at the lifelong Democrat's rise to political fame. Both yielded laughs from the crowd.\nFormer Bloomington mayor and Congressman McCloskey died Nov. 2 after a yearlong battle with bladder cancer.\nFriend and co-worker Pat Murphy, who cried during his speech, said his favorite memories of McCloskey are from the past 14 months as the former mayor was fighting cancer.\n"I really got to know him and share time with him and help him, and I was really honored to accompany him on this journey," Murphy said.\nRegina Moore, Bloomington city clerk and friend of McCloskey, said McCloskey always impressed her by knowing everybody.\n"I think that is showing today by the number of people who came," Moore said. "Everybody in this auditorium has a story about how Frank interacted with them."\nDuring the ceremony, a documentary film made by Chris Sautter, long-time friend of McCloskey's, was shown and addressed McCloskey's personality, from his humorous side to his work as Bloomington mayor from 1972 to 1982. He said McCloskey could be comfortable in a southern Indiana coal mine or in a meeting with the president of a European country.\nDuring the service, McCloskey's friends spoke about a different point in his life and the many times McCloskey had an impact on them. \nBill Breeden, friend of McCloskey for over 20 years, said the former mayor lived by a simple statement: "It is not incumbent upon me to finish the task, but me art thou free to desist from my part of it." \nBreeden said he cherished the times he shared with McCloskey over the years.\n"I loved meeting him at the market on Saturdays and just the fact that he was a common man," he said. \nFormer Congresswoman Jill Long Thompson said McCloskey cared about other people more than he cared about himself and his own career. Thompson said he wanted everyone to have a quality life and to be treated fairly.\nJohn Goss, a friend of McCloskey for 30 years, said his favorite memory was when McCloskey took his seat in Congress after a recount announced McCloskey had indeed beat Republican Rick McIntyre. \n"I'd say it was the day that we did go to Washington and Frank got seated in Congress in '84 after we had taken six months of re-counting every absentee ballot several times," Goss said.\nAfter 12 individual friends and co-workers spoke about fond memories of McCloskey, the final toast captured the feelings behind the service, given by a close friend.\n"To a great mayor, a great congressman, a great man, Frank McCloskey -- thanks, Frank." \n-- Contact staff writer Mike Malik at mjmalik@indiana.edu.