From the St. Petersburg Times: The legend of Dan Wheldon already has been writ large: the British prodigy who couldn't break into Formula 1 but won two Indy 500s, the St. Pete Grand Prix and the affections of his adopted hometown. The story ended at age 33 when he died doing what he did best: racing some of the world's fastest cars.
When his family and friends gathered Saturday with the IndyCar elite to say goodbye to Wheldon, they opened the doors to the public.
Then they opened up about the Wheldon they knew.
The dashing, confident Brit. The cool guy with the quick wit. The clean freak. The son and brother, the husband and father who enjoyed his children, a good cup of tea and staying up late cleaning with his fellow neatnik, his sister Holly.
She wrote a letter to her brother, then held IndyCar driver Scott Dixon's hand as he read it aloud at the service.
"We are here because of what happened on a race track," her letter said. "But my brother was born to race. Dan without racing was like a cup of tea without milk. And Dan loved his tea."...
The IndyCar world also came to St. Petersburg to say goodbye.
Founder Tony George, CEO Randy Bernard and racing legend-turned-owner Roger Penske were all in attendance.
Wheldon's pallbearers included Dixon and fellow IndyCar drivers Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan. Brothers Austen, Elliott and Ashley Wheldon completed the pallbearers. Their father, Clive Wheldon, cradled his son's racing helmet as they escorted the casket to a hearse.
Driver Danica Patrick was also there, as was Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd. Her half-sister, country music singer Wynonna Judd, sang I Can Only Imagine and Amazing Grace during the ceremony.
She apologized if she choked up during the performance. But her voice did not waver until the last verse: "I can only imagine," she whispered.
Wheldon was to be buried at a private ceremony, according to the city. IndyCar would not comment on the driver's final arrangements. http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article1198121.ece
R.I.P Dan
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