As a standing ovation finally quieted inside Holy Name Cathedral, Chaz Ebert paid the last words of tribute to her husband, famed movie critic Roger Ebert. 
 
 
 
 "He had a heart big enough to accept and love all," Chaz Ebert said, telling the crowd of fans and friends under the vaulted ceilings of the church that "Roger would want me to thank you. He would have loved this. He would have loved the majesty of it." 
 
 
 
 "My heart is so full," she continued. "This morning I didn't want to get out of bed. I wanted to pretend this wasn't the day of his funeral. And then it felt like he was there with me." 
 
 
 
 "One of the things that I loved about Roger -- besides the fact that he had the biggest heart I've ever seen -- is that he really was a soldier for social justice," she said. "And it didn't matter to him your race, creed, color, level of ability, sexual orientation." 
 
 
 
 Chaz Ebert drew laughs when she referred to the black hat and veil she wore. "He loved this hat. That's why I wore it today." 
 
 
 
 Minutes earlier, Roger Ebert's stepdaughter Sonia Ebert said she struggled to capture Roger Ebert's spirit and how much of himself he gave to his family. 
 
 
 
 She called Ebert kind, sincere, loving, intelligent, imaginative, "transformative" and "a world-class human being." 
 
 
 
 While in the hospital, he would write her notes about how much he loved her and her mother and his grandchildren. 
 
 
 
 "I'm happiest when I think of how he and my mother found each other," she said, choking back tears. 
 
 
 
 Ebert, who was the first to win a Pulitzer Prize for film criticism and worked for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 45 years, died on Thursday at age 70. His death came just two days after he publicly announced that cancer had returned and that he would be taking "a leave of presence." 
 
 
 
 Among those paying tribute during the funeral was Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Whether or not we knew Roger, we knew he loved Chicago and Chicago loved Roger," he said. "Roger. . .was able to bring the spirit of American film alive. Roger's name became synonymous with Chicago. 
 
 
 
 "We trusted Roger because he trusted us. We trusted Roger because he was one of us. Roger spent his time sitting through bad movies so we wouldn't have to," the mayor said, drawing laughter. 
 
 
 
 Chicago Sun-Times colleague John Barron, former publisher of the newspaper, described Ebert as "a teacher, TV star, poet" who was newspaper man first. "Roger was 24-7 before any of us knew what that was," Barron said. 
 
 
 
 The Rev. Michael Pfleger gave the last blessing over Ebert's casket. "May the angels lead you to paradise," he said. 
 
 
 
 Then he spoke directly to Ebert's wife. "I know as Roger ascends into heaven, the balconies of heaven are filled with angels saying, 'Thumbs up,' " Pfleger said. 
 
 
 
 Fans and friends had arrived at the church early in pouring rain for the funeral. 
 
 
 
 "He was inspirational, both in terms of his depth of knowledge about film and his wisdom about life," said Matt Fagerholm, 27, a film critic for HollywoodChicago.com, who claimed the first spot in a line that formed outside Holy Name Cathedral before 8 a.m. The funeral began at 10 a.m. 
 
 
 
 Fagerholm said he first met Ebert in 2006, shortly after illness had left the famed movie critic unable to speak. Ebert would communicate by writing in a notebook, Fagerholm recalled of his encounters with Ebert in the screening room. 
 
 
 
 "He was always a joy to talk to, always so funny," Fagerholm said. "I'm inspired by his life force, by his ability to keep going." 
 
 
 
 Fagerholm said he arrived early in anticipation of the huge crowd. "He's going to live on in every writer who believes that big ideas can be conveyed to and enjoyed by the masses," Fagerholm said. "He was a great populist in that sense." 
 
 
 
 While it was his television show with Gene Siskel that made Ebert a household name, Jason Nebergall said it was Ebert's writing, especially his very frank and personal blog posts, that drew Nebergall in. 
 
 
 
 "He has dealt with a lot of major issues and he tells you exactly what he's been going through, with grace and dignity," Nebergall, 30, said while waiting in line. 
 
 
 
 Nebergall said he was "shocked" by the news of Ebert's death. "It just seemed like he would go on forever," Nebergall said. 
 
 
 
 Edward Cooper, 46, said Ebert's death was "like losing a mayor." 
 
 
 
 "I want to pay my respects to a very important Chicago icon. I feel like I've grown with this man," Cooper said. "To see him suffer like that, it just broke my heart. He was a good inspiration. He fought a good fight." 
 
 
 
 Robert Duffy, 67, a retired security guard who has lived in Chicago all his life, said he often saw Ebert "around town." 
 
 
 
 "Everybody has a story about Roger," Duffy said as he waited outside Holy Name Cathedral. "He was a real nice man, he'd always talk to you." 
 
 
 
 The funeral drew fans who had admired Ebert from afar, and old friends who recalled sharing a drink or two with the film critic during his partying days. 
 
 
 
 "He was always happy, would sit and talk with anyone," said Rita Mongan, 62, who remembered drinking with Ebert at O'Rourke's more than 30 years ago. "He was just a fun-loving guy, and down-to-earth." 
 
 
 
 Former classmates of Ebert's wife, Chaz, wore blue and red ribbons in a sign of support for their childhood friend, who married Ebert more than 20 years ago. 
 
 
 
 Jennie Hatch, 61, recalled how the couple hosted planning meetings for a 2009 reunion of the Crane Tech High School class of 1969 at their Near North home. 
 
 
 
 "Roger always came downstairs and spoke to us, with the thumbs up," Hatch said. 
 
 
 
 Despite an illness that left him unable to talk, Roger always had a good time, Hatch said. 
 
 
 
 By the time the church's doors opened for the funeral at 9 a.m., the line outside the church numbered around 70 people. 
 
 
 
 A tribute to Ebert will be held Thursday evening at the Chicago Theatre. Among invited guests are actors, directors and writers. The event is free but seats must be reserved. 
 
 In lieu of flowers, well-wishers were being asked to send donations to The Ebert Foundation, c/o Northern Trust at 50 S. LaSalle Street. 
 
 mcaro@tribune.com 
 
 Twitter: @MarkCaro 
 
 kgeiger@tribune.com 
 
 lbowean@tribune.com 
 
 ||||| Roger Ebert was remembered Monday morning at a funeral mass by his family, colleagues, and fellow Chicagoans as a man who shared himself with the world and fought for social justice. His wife Chaz Ebert, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Jonathan Jackson, son of Jesse, were among those to eulogize Ebert at the Holy Name Cathedral. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, there will be another tribute held Thursday at the Chicago Theater. Here are some words from Monday, about a man who loved his words: 
 
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel: Emanuel spoke about Ebert's role as a Chicagoan. "Whether or not we knew Roger, we knew Roger loved Chicago and Chicago loved Roger. He was the most American of critics in the most American of cities," Emanuel said, explaining that before he went to a movie he needed to discover two things: "what time did it start and what did Roger think about it." 
 
 Governor Pat Quinn: Quinn remembered Ebert's populism, describing him as a "union man." He ended with, "We love you Roger. We always will. Thumbs up." 
 
 Jonathan Jackson: In addition to reading remarks by his father, Jesse Jackson Sr.—who said that Ebert "understood that a community without culture is an untenable idea that will surely destroy us all"—Jackson discussed Ebert's role in championing films by black filmmakers, like Do the Right Thing: "I look at Roger as a soldier with a pen," he said. Jackson finished his remarks by relaying the thoughts of Do the Right Thing's director, Spike Lee, who he called on the way to the service. Lee said: "Roger fought the good fight. Roger fought the power." 
 
 John Barron: The former Sun-Times editor and publisher described Ebert as a "true newspaper man," who also understood where the journalism industry was heading. Ebert, he said, was an early adopter of computers and email and was "was 24/7 before anyone had ever thought about that term." 
 
 Sonia Evans: Ebert's stepdaughter described being in the hospital with Ebert as he would write "special little notes" about memories. Holding back tears she talked about how much he loved her kids and how much he meant to her family: "I'm the happiest when I think of how he and my mother found each other." She concluded: "Roger I want to thank you for nothing more than for being you," she said. "You gave yourself. cmpletely genuinely and we are all forever grateful." 
 
 Chaz Ebert: Ebert's wife was the last to speak, and explained that she wasn't sure she could, but when she was listening to her daughter she knew she had to "because I know that Roger would want me to thank you." Chaz also described her late husband's passion for causes: "He really was a soldier for social justice and it didn’t matter to him your race, creed, color, level of ability, sexual orientation he had a heart big enough to accept and love all." When she fixed her hat, she said: "he loved this hat, that's why I wore it today." 
 
 Inset photo by the Associated Press 
 
 Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ezuckerman at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire. 
 
 Esther Zuckerman
– A huge crowd attended Roger Ebert's funeral today at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, where friends, family, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel paid tribute to the country's most famous film critic, the Chicago Tribune reports. "He had a heart big enough to accept and love all," said Chaz Ebert, his wife for more than 20 years. "It didn't matter to him your race, creed, color, level of ability, sexual orientation." She made the audience laugh when talking about her veiled black hat: "He loved this hat. That's why I wore it today." Among other remarks: "We trusted Roger because he was one of us," said Emanuel. "Roger spent his time sitting through bad movies so we wouldn't have to." "He's going to live on in every writer who believes that big ideas can be conveyed to and enjoyed by the masses," said film critic Matt Fagerholm. "I'm happiest when I think of how he and my mother found each other," said stepdaughter Sonia Evans, holding back tears. The Atlantic reports that she added, "Roger I want to thank you for nothing more than for being you. You gave yourself, completely genuinely and we are all forever grateful." "He was always happy, would sit and talk with anyone," said a woman who remembered having a drink with Ebert years ago. "He was just a fun-loving guy, and down-to-earth." Jesse Jackson's son, Jonathan Jackson, quoted his father as saying Ebert "understood that a community without culture is an untenable idea that will surely destroy us all." The younger Jackson called him "a soldier with a pen."