Details From Marlins Pitcher José Fernández's Heartbreaking Funeral

The day has come for the world to pay its final respects to the late Marlins pitcher, José Fernández. 

Fernández's fans gathered outside of the baseball park in Miami where they would usually celebrate "José day" at the games that he pitched. Evidently, the tone was a different one now, but people's love for the baseball player was more present than ever. 

Fernández's teammates, wearing white "RIP" shirt, surrounded the hearse and walked it out of the park for the very last time. 

The hearse then arrived at La Ermita de la Caridad in Coconut Grove, Florida, to receive a blessing from Rev. Juan Rumin Domínguez. We then saw the gut-wrenching moment that the mother, Maritza, and grandmother, Olga, gave the casket a heartbreaking kiss as they wept. All the while, we heard a violin playing "Ave Maria" in the background. 

This church is a very special place for the Cuban-exile community, a place of solace for decades. 

The hearse then proceeded to St. Brendan's Catholic Church in Westchester, Florida. The family graciously granted fans the opportunity to attend a public viewing for Fernández that lasted several hours. 

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Fernández died early Sunday morning when his 32-foot fishing boat struck a jetty along Government Cut and Fisher Island in Miami Beach. We later learned that the two other victims who died onboard the tragic boat ride were his friends Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, andEduardo Rivero, 25. 

 

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The family is asking for donations to be made to the Miami Foundation, instead of flowers