(CNN) -- The racing sanctioning body IndyCar will hold a public memorial service Sunday to celebrate the life of two-time Indianapolis 500 champ Dan Wheldon.
Wheldon, 33, was near the back of a 34-car field at the Las Vegas Indy 300 on October 16 when he got mixed up in a crash that saw several cars spin out of control and burst into flames, spewing smoke and debris. He died of head injuries.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered in St. Petersburg, Florida, for Wheldon's funeral. They remembered him as a winning personality and family man as much as a star on the race track.
Born in Emberton, England, Wheldon had settled in the west Florida city with his wife and two young sons.
Susie Wheldon spoke to her late husband through a letter read aloud by family friend Michael Johnson at the First Presbyterian Church. Audio from that message, and other parts of Saturday's otherwise private ceremony, were recorded and released by CNN affiliate WTSP.
"I am so scared. Scared I'm going to forget things as time goes by: the way you smell, the sound of your voice, the touch of your hand," she wrote.
Wynonna Judd -- whose half-sister Ashley is married to one of Wheldon's pallbearers, driver Dario Franchitti -- sang at the funeral. The speakers included agent Adrian Sussman, who recalled the positive effect that Susie Wheldon and the couple's two boys had on his friend.
Besides those inside, dozens of people stood nearby the church to pay their respects.
In lieu of flowers, friends and fans were asked to donate to the fund or to the Alzheimer's Association, a cause close to the late driver's heart. His mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2009.
NASCAR said it will provide teams at the Talladega Superspeedway this weekend with a decal in honor of Wheldon.
The decal features an image of a knight and the word "Lionheart." Wheldon likened himself to Richard the Lionheart, the 12th-century British warrior king, and often wore the image on the back of his helmets.
"When I first started racing, a lot of the guys said that I raced with a lot of heart, occasionally not my head, but always with a lot of heart, like the way that Richard the Lionheart fought in battle," Wheldon wrote on a sponsor's blog in 2010.
In a statement released Saturday, Susie Wheldon said: "Although the last few days have been unbearable for our family, the overwhelming love and support we have received are rays of sunshine during these dark days. The outpouring of sympathy and condolences has been so comforting, and I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, letters, gifts and flowers."
No comments:
Post a Comment