NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, numerous NFL owners, former Bears pay respects to Virginia McCaskey

The Chicago Bears laid their matriarch to rest on a snowy Wednesday morning in the northwest suburbs. Hundreds of friends and family, including fellow NFL owners and many former Bears players, showed up for the funeral of team owner Virginia Halas McCaskey.

A funeral mass was held at St. Emily Catholic Church in Mount Prospect. McCaskey, who was 102 years old when she died last week, was NFL royalty. She was the daughter of Bears founder and NFL pioneer George S. Halas. She had been the team’s majority owner since her father died in 1983.

Much of her large family was in attendance. McCaskey and her husband Ed (who died in 2003) had 11 children (nine of whom are still living), 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Also in attendance was NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who flew into town just days after Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The NFL held a moment of silence in honor of Virginia McCaskey prior to the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Other attendees included New York Giants owner John Mara, whose family has owned the Giants since the team was founded in 1925. The McCaskey family and the Mara family have owned their teams longer than any other NFL owners.

Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy and Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos attended. Murphy is the highest ranking official for a Packers organization that does not have a majority owner. Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill attended. His Cardinals franchise was once a hometown rival of the Bears when they played as the Chicago Cardinals from 1920 to 1959.

In a show of Chicago support, Chicago Cubs co-owners Tom Ricketts and Laura Ricketts attended.

Former Bears players in attendance included Hall of Fame defenders Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Brian Urlacher, former kicker Robbie Gould, former cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman and former running back Matt Forte. Longtime Bears head coach Lovie Smith and his wife MaryAnne Smith attended.

Current top Bears decision makers also showed up in support of the McCaskey family. President and CEO Kevin Warren, general manager Ryan Poles and newly hired head coach Ben Johnson all attended. Current Bears kicker Cairo Santos and long snapper Patrick Scales also attended, along with special teams coordinator Richard Hightower.

Virginia McCaskey was a devout Catholic who often watched games with a rosary in one hand. She lived the last years of her life in a modest home in Des Plaines and attended mass every day for many years.

A long procession of family members arrived at St. Emily around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Pallbearers wore Chicago Bears colored blue and orange ties. Virginia McCaskey’s son Patrick McCaskey, who is a vice president of the team, read the eulogy for his mother. Afterward, the McCaskey family held a private entombment.

[ 5 things to know about Virginia Halas McCaskey, who died Thursday at 102 ]