AIDS Victim Ryan White Eulogized : First Lady Among Host of Celebrities Mourning Teen-Ager

First Lady Barbara Bush and a host of celebrities joined mourners at services today for AIDS victim Ryan White, the teen-ager who steadfastly fought to the end against public misconceptions and prejudice about his deadly disease.

The afternoon funeral was held in Second Presbyterian Church, chosen because it was one of the few churches near his hometown of Cicero that could accommodate the throngs of mourners. It can seat more than 1,000 people.

White, 18, died Sunday in Riley Hospital for Children after waging a five-year battle against the disease and discrimination against its victims.

The Rev. Ray Probasco, a Methodist minister and friend of the White family, delivered the main funeral sermon. The choir from Hamilton Heights High School, where White was a junior, sang and singer Elton John, a friend of White’s, played and sang his own “Skyline Pigeon” and lead the congregation in the Lord’s Prayer.

John, football player Howie Long, talk show host Phil Donahue and three of White’s high school friends--Tommy Hale, Leo Joseph and John Huffman--were the pallbearers.

Gov. Evan Bayh ordered flags in the state flown at half-staff. Classes were held today at Hamilton Heights High School, where White was a junior, but students were allowed to leave and attend the funeral.

White, who won the admiration of stars and common people alike during his crusade for AIDS education, was remembered Wednesday by former President Ronald Reagan as a teen-ager “who just wanted to be like the other kids.”

“Ryan would probably be embarrassed by all the fuss we are making over him,” Reagan wrote in an op-ed column in the Washington Post. “He did not want to be anyone special. He just wanted to go to school, play with his friends and grow up like every other kid in the neighborhood. But it was not to be.”

After the funeral White was buried this afternoon in a private service at a cemetery in Cicero, the town about 25 miles north of Indianapolis where he had lived since 1987.

Hundreds of people called during visitation Tuesday at a mortuary in suburban Carmel despite dreary, rainy weather.

The visitors included family, friends, classmates, well-wishers and AIDS activists. About 25 people at a time were allowed into the visitation area, where they were greeted by White’s mother, Jeanne.

John, who arrived at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis on April 2 and kept vigil in White’s room until his death, stood behind Jeanne White to offer comfort to her and other friends and relatives.

Prominently displayed in front of White’s open casket were a slate from the 1989 television movie, “The Ryan White Story,” and a People magazine cover featuring White. Numerous photos, including a baby picture posted above White’s body, were placed among flowers that adorned the casket.

White was diagnosed with AIDS in December, 1984, after contracting the virus from a blood-clotting agent used to treat his hemophilia. He was told he might live six months to one year but he survived more than five years.