A steady stream of people made their way into Faneuil Hall Sunday, both to mourn the death and celebrate the life of beloved former Boston Mayor Tom Menino.
Inside the hall, some prayed, some gave condolences to Menino’s loved ones, and many shared stories of the impact he had on their lives, the city of Boston and beyond.
"I'm not a huge fan of politics but Menino was one of those guys that was a pretty solid guy," said Mike Kasander, who works in South Boston.
Edythe Copeland of Roxbury took her 11-year-old granddaughter Keyanna to show her what Menino meant to this city.
"My granddaughter asked ... 'How come all these people were here for this man?' And I said, 'Well, he did so many things for everyone, no matter who they were,'" said Copeland.
One of Menino's gifts was bringing together so many people from so many different backgrounds, ethnicities and neighborhoods and making them know they were all important in his city.
"He unified the city and really just was a humble, wonderful person that made the city great," said Abdi Yusuf, director of the Somali Development Center.
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"He was not a bureaucrat sitting at a desk, he was on the street getting the job done," said Pastor Soliny Vedrine of Roxbury's Boston Missionary Baptist Church.
And now the city he loved so much moves on without him here physically, but many believe he will always be a part of the fabric of Boston.
"The mayor's been the leader of this city, we follow him," said Boston Police Officer Jay Connolly, who was part of the continuous Honor Guard. "We just felt in our heart we had to be here and stand by guard."
