Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Frantzve, clutched a rosary as she waved to supporters from the backseat of an SUV on Thursday evening.
The procession escorted Kirk’s body to Hansen Mortuary Chapel in Phoenix, where hundreds lined the streets waving American flags.
Return on Air Force Two
The 31-year-old conservative activist was flown home aboard Air Force Two.
He had been killed the day before, struck in the neck by a sniper’s bullet while speaking at Utah Valley University.
The assassin fired from the roof of the Losee Center, roughly 200 yards from where Kirk addressed thousands during his American Comeback Tour.
Vice President JD Vance arranged the transport and stood alongside the grieving family.
Vance canceled a 9/11 commemoration in New York to travel with his wife, Usha, to Utah.
Both families were present at the campus event when the shooting occurred.
Frantzve and Usha Vance held hands as they stepped off Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
They watched as Kirk’s wooden casket was transferred to a hearse for the short drive to the chapel.
Earlier, Vance had helped carry the casket onto the plane in Salt Lake City.
Vance’s Tribute
Vance honored Kirk in a heartfelt post on X hours after the assassination.
“Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers,” Vance said.
“After every event, he would give me a big hug, tell me he was praying for me, and ask me what he could do.”
The vice president recalled meeting Kirk in 2017 after an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show.
Kirk reached out with encouragement, beginning a friendship that would shape Vance’s career.
“Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind,” Vance wrote.
Both men had once been skeptical of Trump in 2016, but later embraced him as the leader capable of reshaping American politics.
By 2021, when Vance was considering a Senate run, Kirk was already advocating for him.
“He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I’d go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent,” Vance recalled.
“He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man.”
Family and Legacy
Frantzve, a former Miss Arizona, married Kirk in 2021.
The couple shared two young children.
President Trump said he had spoken to her at length after the tragedy.
“She is devastated. She is absolutely devastated, as you can imagine,” Trump told reporters.
Trump announced he will attend Kirk’s funeral, calling it an “obligation.”
He also confirmed Kirk will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
The award is the nation’s highest civilian honor, underscoring Kirk’s role as a leading conservative voice.
