Liz Cheney delivered an emotional tribute to her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, at his funeral in Washington, D.C., revealing the final words he spoke before his death earlier this month. He was 84.
Speaking to mourners at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, Nov. 20, Liz, 59, honored her father, who died on Nov. 3 from complications related to pneumonia and longstanding cardiac and vascular illness, according to the family’s statement.
During her eulogy, Liz reflected on the last hours of his life and described a moment that felt deeply symbolic to her. She said that on the night before he died, clouds gathered over her parents’ home in the shape of winged angels — something she had never seen before — and that it seemed as though “angels and archangels” had come to watch over him.
She then shared the words her father spoke as he passed. “As my dad left this earth, his last words were to tell my mother he loved her,” she said, before adding a farewell of her own: “Goodnight, sweet dad. My flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
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As Liz spoke, her mother, Lynne Cheney, appeared visibly emotional. Lynne, also 84, was married to Dick Cheney for more than 60 years. The two met as teenagers at Natrona County High School in Wyoming, where Lynne was a baton squad leader and homecoming queen and Dick was a football captain and senior class president. They married in 1964.
Liz also spoke about the time she spent with her father in his later years, calling it one of the greatest gifts of her life. She recalled long hours together by the fire at home, watching football and old movies, attending grandchildren’s games, and taking road trips — now with her behind the wheel.
“We went to places he’d taken us 50 years ago,” she said. “We drove for hours. We talked about life and family, history and America.”
She described her father as someone whose presence brought a feeling of security and joy. She shared a memory of a photo taken years ago of him in a cowboy hat, jeans, and a fleece jacket, his arm wrapped around one of his grandsons. Looking at it recently, Liz said her mother summed it up perfectly: “That’s what he was to all of us.”
“He was a giant to the end,” Liz said. “A lion of a man who loved and served his great republic.”
Dick and Lynne Cheney had two daughters, Liz and Mary Cheney. Mary attended the funeral and sat alongside her sister and mother. Three of Liz’s children also spoke earlier in the service, and Liz was seen wiping away tears as they shared their own memories of their grandfather.
