A gospel choir sang “Amazing Grace” as hundreds gathered to remember Diane Ford, the mother of Premier Doug Ford and his late brother Rob, the former mayor of Toronto, following her death last Sunday at 85, following a battle with cancer.

“She was always the family’s guiding light,” the premier told mourners who braved heavy rain Saturday on their way into the Toronto Congress Centre on Dixon Rd. “We never made any decisions without her.”

The funeral took place in the same convention hall where Ford celebrated his triumphant 2018 election victory, returning the Progressive Conservatives to power after 15 years in opposition.

The crowd ranged from dignitaries including Lieutenant-Governer Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and former premier Ernie Eves to ordinary citizens; many toward the back of the cavernous room watched on giant TV screens.

Ford said he was “truly grateful” for the turnout, sounding emotional at times during a 21-minute eulogy in which he also talked about his mother’s passion for gardening and a “heavy foot” that landed her the occasional speeding ticket.

There were Ontario cabinet ministers, MPPs and MPs from the major parties, Mayor John Tory, former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion, retired Maple Leafs star Tie Domi, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique and veteran Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner, who bowed out of an appointment to the top OPP job last March amid controversy over his ties to the Ford family.

Ford’s one-time chief of staff Dean French, who left the government last June in a cronyism scandal, was seen walking with campaign advisor Chris Froggatt after the service. Potential federal Conservative leadership rivals Peter MacKay and MP Erin O’Toole, who was representing outgoing federal Conservative Andrew Scheer, were also in attendance.

Diane Ford, a mother of four and grandmother to 10, showed her stripes as matriarch even when she was in the emergency room after her son was elected last year, said Joe Gorman, director of public affairs at the new Humber River Hospital.

“It was all about, ‘OK Doug, get to work’ — I knew who the true boss of the Ford family was.”

Former premier Mike Harris paid tribute to her for nurturing the political careers of three generations — not just sons Doug and Rob, but her husband Doug Sr., who was an Etobicoke MPP from 1995 to 1999, and grandson Michael Ford, now on Toronto city council after being a Toronto District School Board Trustee.

“When someone decides to seek public office, it becomes a family outing whether or not everyone likes it, or whether or not everyone wants it. Very few spouses and very few parents embrace their role like Diane did. Her support and advice, I know, served her family, her city and her province in a unique way,” Harris said.

“Just imagine what she would have achieved if she had run for office herself.”

Harris credited her for remaining “incredibly strong” after the devastating loss of Rob to cancer in 2016 after his tumultuous term as mayor, during which she fiercely defended him despite repeated scandals over his alcohol and drug addiction.

“As a parent, we all have struggles and challenges with our children. But few have had to face those challenges in a public way that Diane did. She never wavered in her unlimited love and support for her children in particular,” Harris added.

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“I expect she was even more blunt in the privacy of her own home.”

Michael Ford praised his grandmother as “a pillar of support,” while Stephanie Ford, the daughter of Rob and Renata Ford, brought tears to some eyes by asking her grandmother “to give a big kiss to poppy and daddy for me” and thanking her for delivering school lunches with “smiley face” notes.

The premier noted how his mother’s sprawling backyard was the home for the annual “Ford Fest” for years and estimated she met and greeted as many as 250,000 attendees over the years.

He fondly recalled a time years ago when she and Doug Sr. got wind of a secret party their children were planning at the house. The couple staked it out from a nearby plaza and returned to kibosh 45 minutes after the festivities began.

“Mom, I love you, I’ll always love you. And thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Look after dad and Rob up there in heaven and I know the three of you are already planning Rob’s re-election campaign to be mayor of heaven.”

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