Watch former Rep. Jim Ramstad's memorial service online
Though they can't do so in person, Minnesotans will be able to bid farewell to a long-serving former congressman via livestream on Sunday.
Former Rep. Jim Ramstad, who died earlier this month following a battle with Parkinson's disease, will be honored with a memorial service at Wayzata Community Church at 4 p.m.
It's closed to the public but will be viewable online on the church's website. You can also watch it at this memorial site set up on his behalf, which will make the full service available to those who may have missed it live.
According to the above Facebook post from Wayzata Community Church, Ramstad was laid to rest in a burial ceremony three weeks ago.
Ramstad, a Republican, served Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District from 1991 to 2009, and was known for his willingness to work across the aisle as well as his his work on addiction recovery and mental health issues, being open about his own alcoholism and recovery.
He was the chief sponsor of a bill – named in honor of late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Democrat – that made it easier for more people to get treatment for mental illness and/or chemical addiction.
In a tweet following his death, the advocacy arm of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation called Ramstad "a great leader" and "one of the most impactful recovery advocates in modern history."
“Jim’s political philosophy was guided by a fundamental belief in the importance of working in a bipartisan, pragmatic, common-sense way to solve problems,” Ramstad chief of staff Dean Peterson said of his former boss, per MPR News.
Ramstad was 74 years old.
