Kathy Spencer, a 21-year-old BYU student from Connecticut, described her funeral experience as "awesome." She and two of her friends drove from Provo early Saturday to attend.

"President Hinckley is amazing," she said. "Just remembering all the things he's done for this church inspires me."

Brittney Robison, a 28-year-old Riverton resident, also was uplifted by the service.

"It was a great celebration of his life and his accomplishments," she said. "The talks were just as down to earth as he was."

Many others who attended the funeral had similar reactions.

"I came because of my reverence for the man. I said to my wife, 'I can think of nowhere else on earth I would rather be today, regardless of the cold, regardless of the wait, this is where I'd like to be,"" said state Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace.

"(The funeral) was very touching. It was wonderful and emotional to be here and say goodbye to (President Hinckley) for the last time. We were very impressed to say goodbye to such a humble man who worked very hard for the church," said Rocio Cano, South Jordan.

Echoed Liliana Cano of South Jordan, "There seems to be no words to describe the emotions of being here."

"I often reflect on how he's been able to stay strong and speak to us and the blessing of being able to listen to him. I didn't know President Hinckley personally, but he felt personal to everybody. He had so much understanding," said Chris Brown.

Brian Blanchard, of Bountiful, said: "President Hinckley related to a lot of people simply. He talked clearly and plainly, and he was able to comprehend fully the doctrine, and for that, I find that being at his funeral service was a way to honor him and all of the things he's done for us."

Seid Diglisic, president of the Islamic Society of Bosniaks in Utah, said, "We wanted to give honor to President Hinckley because he was a great person and he helped with the dialogue and bringing all of the religions together with the common goal of preventing society's evils today."

"I've lived during the presidencies of several prophets, but for me, this is the one I have the most memory of," said Eileen Woodgate of Bountiful. "He was extraordinary. There was something extraordinary about (President Hinckley), and I think most people felt the same thing — he was amazing."

"When you think about all of the things (President Hinckley) accomplished," said Crystene Briggs of Bountiful, "he just kept moving things forward. ... He reached out to the poorest person and knew their needs and knew what needed to be accomplished to help them and spread the gospel. Everything he did was to make sure every child in the world, whether they were of our faith or not, to be sure they knew God loved them."

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Contributing: Jared Page, Elizabeth Stuart, Twila Van Leer, Amy Choate-Nielsen.