JACKSON - An overflow crowd attended funeral services in Jackson on Tuesday for Clifford Hansen, the former Wyoming governor and U.S. senator who died last week at his home in Jackson. He was 97.

Hansen's family said he gave the same respect and attention to everyone he met, regardless of their station in life.

Brad Mead, Hansen's grandson, recalled touring Washington, D.C., as a boy when his grandfather was in the Senate. Hansen introduced him to elevator operators and janitors with the same solemnity and respect he used to introduce his fellow senators, Mead said.

"Granddad was smart. He was funny. He loved his family and God knows he loved his Wyoming," Mead said during the service at St. John's Episcopal Church.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney recalled Hansen as a man who fought hard, kept his word and earned the respect of those around him.

"In Washington, a town notoriously tough on newcomers, Cliff proved himself not with big titles, or years of seniority, but with good judgment, integrity, reliability, and character," said Cheney, a former Wyoming congressman.

Muffy Mead-Ferro, Hansen's granddaughter, recalled how she sat with Hansen as he slept two days before he died. When he awoke, she asked whether he wanted water.

"He struggled to answer me, but he finally gasped the word 'whiskey,'" Mead-Ferro said with a laugh.

Peter Hansen, Clifford Hansen's son, said that of all the titles his father had in his life, the one he was most proud of was the one his wife Martha gave him: husband. Clifford and Martha Hansen recently marked their 75th wedding anniversary.