Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Funeral plans and visitation for Gordie Howe have been finalized.

The Detroit Red Wings legend, known to generations of fans as Mr. Hockey, passed away Friday at age 88. Murray Howe told the Free Press today his father's funeral and visitation will be open to the public.

Visitation will be held 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena, honoring Howe’s iconic sweater number while allowing fans to pay their respects to Mr. Hockey and the Howe Family, according to the Wings. The funeral service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 9844 Woodward Ave., in Detroit. The celebrant will be Father J.J. Mech.

Murray Howe said Gordie Howe will be cremated, as was his wife, Colleen, who passed away in 2009.

In a Saturday afternoon press release, the Wings released these further details of Tuesday's public visitation:

Though the Howe Family has made it a priority to allow the public to pay tribute to the hockey legend, the organization would like to emphasize that all media and fans continue to respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.

Fans will be able to park in the Riverfront Executive Lot (located directly west of Joe Louis Arena) or in the Joe Louis Arena Garage (900 W. Jefferson Ave.) and enter the building at street level through the arena’s west entrance. The Howe Family will be present to greet the public, and Gordie Howe will lie in state inside the arena bowl.

After paying respects at ice level, the public will have the option to head to the concourse level of the arena to view the Gordie Howe statue. A member of the Red Wings video team will also be stationed on the concourse level for fans who wish to share a memory of Gordie Howe.

Those who wish to pay their respects but cannot attend the visitation can join the thousands who have already shared their Mr. Hockey stories on the Red Wings’ “Gordie Howe Tributes” fan page on Facebook.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to one of the following charitable organizations:

The Gordie Howe Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative (www.ghi4tbi.org or mail a check to ProMedica Foundations, 5217 Monroe St., Suite A-1, Toledo, OH 43623);

The Howe Foundation (3128 Walton Blvd., #255, Rochester Hills, MI 48309);

The Gordie Howe Fund for Alzheimer’s Research (Saskatoon Community Foundation, 101-308 Fourth Ave. North, Saskatoon, SK Canada, S7K 2L7).

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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