Rep. Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman remembered at funeral: Full service
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A private funeral for Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman was held Saturday at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The Hortmans were remembered for their leadership and kindness.
About 1,500 people attended the funeral, including former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as many of Rep. Hortman's colleagues at the local, state and federal levels.
Gov. Tim Walz, who was also a pallbearer, delivered a eulogy at the service, as did one of the Hortmans' close friends. Here is the program for the service.
The full funeral can be viewed in the player at the top of the page. Updates on the funeral service can be found below:

Melissa, Mark Hortman laid to rest at memorial service
Friends, family, and colleagues gathered at the Basilica of Saint Mary to honor and remember the lives of Melissa and Mark Hortman. FOX 9's Mary McGuire has the full report.
12:40 p.m. - Honors, flyover for the Hortmans
The Hortmans were given state honors with a flyover by a State Patrol helicopter and tolling of the bells at the Basilica.
![Melissa, Mark Hortman receive state honors [RAW]](https://c107833-mcdn.mp.lura.live/expiretime=2082787200/46af41ec9ba7e93f7b2a0248f7ecb986fb9b60e510b584bdde152425e04ae4b2/iupl/162/CE0/162CE044BC1143AF493860B204008067.jpg)
Melissa, Mark Hortman receive state honors [RAW]
Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were laid to rest at a funeral service at the Basilica of St. Mary on Saturday in front of hundreds of people, including their two children Colin and Sophie, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and many of Rep. Hortman's colleagues.
A state trooper presented Gov. Tim Walz with the American and Minnesota flags, which were flying over the Minnesota State Capitol on June 14. Walz then presented the flags to the Hortman children, Colin and Sophie. They were also given a firefighter's ax that had previously been given to Melissa Hortman by the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters Association.
12:34 - State honors for the Hortmans

Melissa, Mark Hortman to get state honors: What that means
Melissa and Mark Hortman will receive state honors from the Minnesota Honor Guard as their caskets are carried out of the church. The Hortman family will be presented with flags that flew about the Minnesota State Capitol on June 14, 2025. The Hortmans will receive a flyover and will be escorted by the Minnesota State Patrol.
Melissa and Mark Hortman will receive state honors from the Minnesota Honor Guard as their caskets are carried out of the church. The Hortman family will be presented with flags that flew about the Minnesota State Capitol on June 14, 2025. The Hortmans will receive a flyover and will be escorted by the Minnesota State Patrol. This is expected to begin around 12:56 p.m.
Each attendee at the funeral is wearing a pin of a tree or a shrub. Melissa Hortman loved her garden.
A private burial will be held at a later date for the Hortmans.
12:28 p.m. - Colin Hortman reads prayer
![Melissa and Mark Hortman's son reads prayer [FULL]](https://c107833-mcdn.mp.lura.live/expiretime=2082787200/7b3c916156a62318efbae8948fb161c3e62958d39886fadb990efd48a71d4471/iupl/7BF/929/7BF929C393C952CAD37ED7537B2698F6.jpg)
Melissa and Mark Hortman's son reads prayer [FULL]
Colin Hortman, the Hortmans' son, said his parents embodied the golden rule. He read a prayer that Melissa Hortman kept in her wallet called the Prayer of St. Francis, which his parents lived by.
Colin Hortman, the Hortmans' son, said his parents embodied the golden rule. He read a prayer that Melissa Hortman kept in her wallet called the Prayer of St. Francis, which his parents lived by.
12:15 p.m. - Robin Ann Williams delivers eulogy
![Melissa, Mark Hortman's friend delivers eulogy [FULL]](https://c107833-mcdn.mp.lura.live/expiretime=2082787200/bd4b71d77e94fcb056e92ba66dc66da0d963543d977e65954914c9a52e90227d/iupl/765/731/765731E252FB2FDE96721958E93878B2.jpg)
Melissa, Mark Hortman's friend delivers eulogy [FULL]
Robin Ann Williams, a close friend of Mark and Melissa Hortman, delivered a eulogy for the couple, remembering her and her husband's cherished friendship with the Hortmans. She said the kitchen was the heart of their home, and they always made time for their friends.
Robin Ann Williams, a close friend of Mark and Melissa Hortman, delivered a eulogy for the couple, remembering her and her husband's cherished friendship with the Hortmans. She said the kitchen was the heart of their home, and they always made time for their friends.
12:08 p.m. - Gov. Walz delivers eulogy
![Gov. Tim Walz delivers eulogy for Melissa and Mark Hortman [FULL]](https://c107833-mcdn.mp.lura.live/expiretime=2082787200/d757454cfa564645c24b1223249b588b1fb5e023c05c138c0a4c5e4cc7a3b847/iupl/014/B9D/014B9D20018A813F7575F68BBAECF536.jpg)
Gov. Tim Walz delivers eulogy for Melissa and Mark Hortman [FULL]
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered a eulogy for Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, recalling Rep. Hortman as an "extraordinary" legislator. They were laid to rest at a funeral service at the Basilica of St. Mary on Saturday in front of hundreds of people, including their two children Colin and Sophie, Walz, former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and many of Rep. Hortman's colleagues.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered a eulogy for the Hortmans, telling Sophie and Colin the community and state would stand with them.
Walz said Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential Speaker of the House in Minnesota history, adding Minnesota is a better place because of her agenda. He called her an "extradorinary" legislator who had a passion to serve.
Here are his full remarks, as prepared:
"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here to help us celebrate the lives of two extraordinary public servants.
"To the Hortman and Haluptzok families: Thank you for the opportunity to share a few words about my friends, Mark and Melissa.
"To Harry and Linda, Carroll and Ruth: The entire state of Minnesota is grieving with you today. You raised remarkable people.
"And so did Mark and Melissa. Colin, Sophie: I can’t imagine what the last couple of weeks have been like for you, but I do know that the grace and courage you’ve shown have made this awful time just a little bit easier for the rest of us. It’s easy to see why your parents never stopped bragging about you.
"You are amazing reflections of Mark and Melissa, and we are grateful that we will continue to feel the force of their leadership, strength, and kindness through what you bring to the world. Most importantly, I hope you know that this community is here to support you and your families forever.
"Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history – and I’ll always remember her as a close friend, a mentor, and the most talented legislator I’ve ever known. For seven years, I’ve had the privilege of signing her bills into law. And I know that millions of Minnesotans will get to live better lives because she and Mark chose public service.
"More kids in pre-K, fewer in poverty. More schools with the tools and teachers they need, fewer with hungry students. More trees in the ground and clean energy coursing through the grid, fewer roads and bridges at risk of failure.More people in safe and secure housing, fewer worrying about how to manage caring for their loved ones.
"That’s the legacy Mark and Melissa will leave behind for all Minnesotans. But there’s a part of the story that belongs only to those of us fortunate enough to know the people behind that legacy.
"That part of the story doesn’t take place in some freezing, dimly-lit room at the Capitol. It takes place at CR’s Billiards, where Mark loved to shoot pool on Monday nights. It takes place in the garden, where Melissa fussed over her lilies like they were wayward members of the caucus. It takes place in the kitchen, where Mark fed his sourdough starter and Melissa mixed margaritas and baked cakes and Gilbert begged for scraps and the sound of laughter filled the air.
"Look, Melissa was an extraordinary legislator. And Mark was her proudest supporter, through her early electoral defeats to the height of her power as Speaker. But it’s easy sometimes to forget that, for all its significance, politics is made up of people. That’s all it is. Just a bunch of human beings doing their best.
"Melissa understood that. She saw the humanity in everyone she worked with, and kept everyone focused on the people we serve. Her mission was to get as much good done for as many people as possible. It was the Golden Rule instilled in her by her father, and the passion to serve she learned from her mother. Mark’s focus was people, too. It’s no surprise Melissa and Mark met mentoring a student in Washington, D.C., or what a beloved friend and colleague he was. Though, admittedly, with Mark, I was always looking to ask him for tech tips or about 80s music first.
"That focus on people is what made Melissa so effective. She knew how to get her way, no doubt about it. But she never made anyone feel like they’d gotten rolled at the negotiating table. That wasn’t part of it for her. She didn’t need someone else to lose to know she’d won I remember one late-night negotiation where another legislative leader made a concession and then, the next morning, took it back. I was exhausted, he explained. And, if I’m being honest, I had a couple too many glasses of red wine last night. The truth is, I can’t give you that after all. My caucus would never forgive me. And Melissa could have been furious. But she looked across that table and saw another human being. She gave him grace. And so she sat back down, opened a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos, and found another way to get to a deal.
"I know that, in times of seemingly inexplicable tragedy, people often search for some kind of meaning, some kind of lesson we can learn as we process our loss. And maybe this is a moment when each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for the things we care about. A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did – fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.
"But let’s not do it because of the way Mark and Melissa died. Let’s do it because of the way they lived, and the way they led. With joy and passion. With respect and empathy. With purpose and humility. We won’t always get it right. After all, we’re only human. But the best way to honor these remarkable Minnesotans is to continue the work of building a state equal to their aspirations and a politics worthy of their example.
"Thank you. And may God bless Mark and Melissa."
12:01 p.m. - Hebda speaks
Archbishop Bernard Anthony Hebda spoke near the end of mass, saying: "Today, we are all suffering along with you but pledging you our prayers and asking God’s mercy and forgiveness on Mark and Melissa."
11:06 a.m. - Homily addresses political violence, what the Hortmans loved

Melissa, Mark Hortman funeral homily: They lived lives of 'purpose and meaning'
Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were laid to rest at a funeral service at the Basilica of St. Mary on Saturday in front of hundreds of people, including their two children Colin and Sophie, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and many of Rep. Hortman's colleagues. Here is the full homily given at the funeral service, which included discussing political violence, which took the lives of the Hortmans and their beloved dog Gilbert.
Father Dan Griffith delivered the homily, which touched on political violence in Minnesota, which took the lives of the Hortmans. He said Minneosta is "ground zero" for racial injustice, citing the killing of George Floyd and being "ground zero" for "political violence and extremism."
"Both of these must be decried in the strongest possible terms as they are, respectively, a threat to human dignity and indeed our democracy. Sadly, racial disparities, some of the most acute in the country, persist here in Minnesota, with modest gains in some areas and widening gaps in others over the last five years," Griffith said, adding that Minnesota can be "ground zero" for "restoration and justice and healing" but peop;le must work together to get the work done.
Griffith also discussed what the Hortmans loved, noting they lived lives of "purpose and meaning." The homily also told the story of Gilbert, the Hortmans beloved dog from Helping Paws, and how he didn't quite make it to being a service dog and ended up living with the Hortmans.
The father went on to say Sophie and Colin are a "beautiful" reflection of their parents, and they will feel their presence in their lives.
10:45 a.m. - Funeral begins

Hortmans funeral: Caskets brought to altar
Before the Hortmans' caskets were brought to the altar at the Basilica of St. Mary, the Hortmans' children, Colin and Sophie, embraced each other as the service began and then draped funeral palls over their parents' caskets. Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, as well as their dog Gilbert, were fatally shot in a targeted, politically motivated attack on June 14.
Before the Hortmans' caskets were brought to the altar at the Basilica of St. Mary, the Hortmans' children, Colin and Sophie, embraced each other as the service began and then draped funeral palls over their parents' caskets.
10:32 - Mourners seated in the church
Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Zack Stephenson are pallbearers for the Hortmans. Many other members of the Minnesota Legislature and other political leaders are expected to be in attendance at the service.
10:30 a.m. - Klobuchar releases statement
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said she isn't able to attend the funeral in person because of the budget bill vote in the Senate but she plans to watch via livestream.
She released the following statement:
"I join the state and the country in honoring our beloved friends Melissa and Mark Hortman. In speaking with their children Sophie and Colin yesterday at the Minnesota Capitol, I know that Melissa and Mark’s legacy of goodness and service to others is in the best of hands.
"Between the two of them, Melissa and Mark represented the best of leadership and citizenship. They met as volunteers working to help kids, and that dedication to serving others never wavered. Because of Melissa’s tenacity as a legislator, Minnesota kids get free school lunch, Minnesota parents will get paid leave to care for their newborns, and our state is on track to achieve 100% clean energy. Mark’s friends knew him for his love of nature and of trying new things. Whether he was repairing cars, brewing beers, or woodworking, it was clear he enjoyed building things and making them better. Melissa and Mark had no greater joy in their lives than their two children, who loved them fiercely.
"Sophie and Colin said that the best way to honor their parents is 'to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.’ I can think of no better way to honor Melissa and Mark."
9:30 a.m. - People walking into Basilica
A line of funeral attendees began making their way into the Basilica of St. Mary before the service, including politicians. Outside the Basilica, there are Minneapolis Fire Department trucks with their ladders extended flying an American flag.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to speak

Minnesota State Patrol members carry the casket of DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman before a funeral ceremony at the Basilica of Saint Mary on June 28, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Law enforcement agencies captured Vance Boelter on June 15th in connection (Getty Images)
Two people are expected to speak at the funeral. Gov. Tim Walz will speak, and a close friend of the Hortmans is also expected to speak.
Overnight, the I-35W bridge was lit green in honor of the Hortmans. Gov. Walz said Hortman "found joy and peace in trees and gardens."
Former President Joe Biden, former VP Kamala Harris to attend the Hortmans' funeral
Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris will be among the hundreds of people to attend Saturday's service.
According to The Associated Press, neither Biden nor Harris are expected to speak. Harris expressed her condolences earlier this week to the Hortmans' adult children, and spoke with Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, who extended an invitation on behalf of the Hortman family, her office said.
Hortmans lie in state at MN Capitol

Thousands pay their respects to the Hortmans
Thousands of people paid their respects to the Hortmans while they lie in state, including former President Joe Biden. FROX 9's Corin Hoggard has more.
The funeral comes a day after the couple laid in state with their dog, Gilbert, at the Minnesota State Capitol on Friday. The public was invited to pay their respects, and thousands of people stopped by to mourn the Hortmans, including former President Joe Biden and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, was the first woman in Minnesota history to lie in state, her husband Mark is the first person who wasn't a public official to lie in state, and Gilbert is the first animal to lie in state.
Who were the Hortmans?

Mark Hortman and Melissa Hortman. (Supplied)
Dig deeper:
Hortman was a Democrat from Brooklyn Park. She served 11 terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives after being elected in 2004, including as the Democratic leader.
Her colleagues in the state legislature remembered her as a friend, a mentor, and a true public servant dedicated to helping fellow Minnesotans.
- Who was Melissa Hortman, lawmaker killed in 'targeted' shooting
- Remembering Melissa Hortman, Minnesota giant with humble beginning

Remembering the Hortmans: 7 ways in 1 day
Melissa and Mark Hortman were fatally shot at their Brooklyn Park home Saturday morning. Their children released a statement Monday night with seven ways you can honor their legacy.
How you can remember them:
The Hortmans' two adult children, Colin and Sophie, shared seven ways people can honor their parents:
- Plant a tree.
- Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail.
- Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.
- Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it.
- Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone.
- Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something.
- Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.
The backstory:
The Hortmans were fatally shot in a targeted shooting on the morning of June 14 at their Brooklyn Park home. Their dog, Gilbert, was gravely injured in the shooting and was ultimately euthanized.
The alleged gunman also shot and injured state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their Champlin home. Federal and state charges have been filed in connection with the shootings.