Funeral services will be held on Thursday morning for Geraldine Ferraro, who passed away on Saturday in Boston, Mass. at the age of 75 after battling multiple myeloma for twelve years, according to a statement.
The service for the first major female vice presidential candiate will be private for family and friends and closed to the press. It will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer in Manhattan.
Ferraro's family said in a statement released on Monday morning:
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her honor to one of the following organizations: The Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Research Center at Dana-Farber; The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation; The Religious Order of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Tarrytown; and City Meals on Wheels.
After first being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, Ferraro, a Democrat, went on to serve New York's ninth congressional district for three terms. She ran as Walter Mondale's running mate in the 1984 presidential election.
Ferraro's death prompted an outpouring of reaction from many within the political community.
"She was a remarkable woman and a dear human being," said Mondale. "She was a pioneer in our country for justice for women and a more open society. She broke a lot of molds and it's a better country for what she did."
President Barack Obama described Ferraro as a trailblazer for all in the wake of her passing. He said she "fought to uphold America's founding ideals of equality, justice and opportunity for all."