According to the Seattle Times, Over 100 people gathered at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan for the memorial service of Maryanne Trump Barry, the older sister of Donald Trump and a former federal judge. Among those in attendance were Donald Trump and Melania Trump, who arrived as part of a processional from the funeral home. The service was closed to the public, with Secret Service agents and NYPD officers providing security.
Maryanne Trump Barry passed away at the age of 86 at her Upper East Side home in Manhattan. The service, which was private and closed to the media, included eulogies delivered by clergy and Barry’s son, David William Desmond. Desmond, a neuropsychologist and writer, praised his mother’s resilience in a male-dominated profession and her bipartisan associations but did not mention Donald Trump in his remarks.
Maryanne Trump Barry, in her lifetime, refrained from publicly criticizing her brother, but she was recorded making critical remarks in surreptitiously recorded interviews with her niece, Mary Trump. She passed scathing comments about Donald Trump’s principles and cruelty, expressing her disapproval of his behavior during their father’s memorial service in 1999.
Despite the recorded criticism, Donald Trump has expressed admiration for Maryanne Trump Barry over the years. In a tribute on Truth Social, he called her a “truly beautiful woman” and described her life as “largely problem-free” until he ran for president.
Other attendees at the memorial service included Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner. Bagpipers played a mournful air, and after the service, the former president spoke briefly with the pastor on the church’s steps. The lack of mention of Donald Trump during the service seemed to align with Maryanne Trump Barry’s wishes, according to Douglas Purcell, the cantor at St. Ignatius Loyola. Purcell noted that the hymns chosen for the service were reflective of Barry’s choices.
