They have lined up before — for a “Ford Nation” t-shirt or a bobblehead, for a quick cellphone picture, to shake the hand of Toronto’s most infamous mayor.

On Monday, Rob Ford’s most dedicated supporters, nearly 300 by lunchtime, lined up at city hall to say goodbye — a few words, a blown kiss, a hand on the casket draped in Toronto’s official flag.

A man who endeared himself to those who cared little for politics or politicians, Ford’s boosters say he’ll be remembered for the personal problems he fixed and the calls he returned.

“He was definitely a people person in every way. He wasn’t in politics for himself. I think he was in politics to help the people, the little man that needs help,” said Hyacinthe Huron, 65.

Huron, wearing the t-shirt she kept from the Ford family’s annual “Ford Fest” barbeque, was one of the early mourners to stand outside in line behind metal barricades.

She said Ford, who died last week in hospital after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, is gone too soon.

“I loved Rob Ford. I think he was a good man and we’ve lost a very good leader,” she said. “He could have become prime minister of Canada, but cancer said no.”

As the rain came down in the square named for another mayor, Nathan Phillips, on Monday morning a black hearse pulled up to the front doors of city hall, followed by limousines carrying Ford’s extended family.

His youngest, Dougie, in a black suit and tie and sneakers, and daughter Stephanie watched with their mother, Ford’s wife Renata, from under an umbrella as members of the Toronto police chief’s ceremonial unit lifted the casket and carried it inside under “Rob Ford Councillor” signs that were quietly returned to the Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) office windows last week, defying a recent ban on their display.

Dione Farrell was among the first to arrive, two hours early. She stood in the rain to see Ford return to city hall for a final time.

Farrell, 47, brought a card for Ford’s family after he helped her with several problems at home (which she did not want to disclose publicly) in 2013. Though she never met Ford, she said after a visit with his office staff, the mayor took action “right away.”

“He’s like a brother I didn’t have, she said. “I loved him, larger than life itself.”

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Inside the rotunda, Ford’s extended family formed their own line to receive city officials, including Mayor John Tory, and members of the public.

Supt. Ron Taverner, a longtime Ford family friend whose north Etobicoke police division borders Ford’s home address, was greeted with a warm hug from matriarch Diane Ford. He spoke briefly to the officers who were guarding the casket, a police spokesperson said, at the request of the city and Ford’s family.

Farrell, after waiting in line, was there too. She wheeled her cart and the paper envelope holding her card up to the casket. She curtsied, blew a kiss and continued on.

After 2 p.m., as the line still stretched across the front of the building outside, brother Doug Ford, who served as Ward 2 councillor for one term, and nephew Michael Ford, a Toronto District School Board trustee, broke away from their posts and moved through the crowd of those waiting.

Doug Ford shook hands and received hugs from supporters, posing, smiling, for several photos with those who asked.

City hall, which is normally closed on Easter Monday, was opened for the public visitation. Regular business resumes Tuesday as Ford continues to lie in repose in the rotunda. The family was expected to return ahead of a funeral procession to St. James Cathedral on Wednesday.

In front of the red carpet where Ford lay Monday, a dozen young men wearing their green and gold Don Bosco Eagles uniforms and jackets arrived as a group, heads bowed. Ford, their former coach, reveled in the afternoon practices, at times skipping city hall duties for the gridiron. He was dismissed in 2013 after controversial comments in the Sun, including that many players “come from gangs.”

School board documents also revealed Ford showed up intoxicated to a crucial practice and had players roll in “goose scat” as punishment.

Like his voters, the players have never blamed Ford for any of it.

On Monday, they travelled to his turf to say goodbye.

With files from Betsy Powell

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