Paul Sandoval funeral draws overflowing crowd at Denver cathedral

When Paul Sandoval visited the White House he asked to be called "tamale maker." A congregation of nearly one thousand friends, family members and dignitaries gathered today to celebrate the life of Sandoval, who referred to himself as a "tamale maker" even after serving two terms as state senator and shaping several prominent political careers in an office at his Denver tamale shop. "I am just so touched that Paul was so loved," Paula Sandoval said of her husband. Just two blocks from the state Capitol, the pews and aisles of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception filled with friends who reminisced about the moment they met Paul Sandoval, known as the godfather of Colorado politics. Photos Slideshow Photos: Paul Sandoval remembered by thousands. Sandoval died at his home Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67. Born in Denver, Sandoval was instrumental in launching a number of political careers including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. Bennet, along with Sen. Mark Udall, Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, attended the service. As former Denver mayor and long-time friend Wellington Webb carried Sandoval's ashes into the cathedral, the smell of incense filled the air and the deep notes of "Amazing Grace" rang out. Former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar's political career was engineered in the back of Sandoval's tamale shop, La Castia. Salazar delivered the eulogy during the funeral Mass. "Paul was about the person, and the people, the community, the city, the state, the nation. Not about the party," Salazar said. Salazar was elected as Colorado attorney general in 1998. He is now the secretary of the Department of the Interior. Sandoval and Salazar remained close over the years. The two spoke almost every day during Sandoval's illness. Photos: Paul Sandoval Slideshow: More images from Paul Sandoval's life and times. Doctors diagnosed Sandoval with pancreatic cancer in February 2011. "We could always tell when Paul was speaking to him (Salazar)," Paula Sandoval said. "Even when he was really sick he had a smile on his face." The packed cathedral rolled with laughter when Salazar reminisced about a trip he and Paul Sandoval took to Central City. Tears washed over the crowd when he shared one of the last moments he spent with Sandoval. "I held him, kissed him, tossed his hair. I said, 'Paul you know how much we love you,' " Salazar said. "He looked at us and said, 'God bless you all. I love you all.' " Salazar read a letter from President Barack Obama to Sandoval's family. "You know better than anyone Paul was colorful, passionate and the soundest of leaders with a big heart and deep love for his family and the Rocky Mountain West," the letter read. "Paul has left your city, state, and the West better than he found it." At the beginning of the eulogy, Salazar asked Sandoval's family to stand and the audience rang out in applause. In his final remarks, Salazar said good-bye to a friend. "Good-bye my loving friend, the owner of my heart," Salazar said. Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com

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