COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Hundreds of family members, friends and fans gathered at the Lake City Church on Saturday morning to remember Patty Duke.
Duke, whose real name is Anna, died in March at the age of 69 from sepsis, a condition that comes about as the result of an infection.
One of Duke’s sons, Mackenzie Astin, spoke first. He encouraged those gathered to greet each other and say, “Anna be with you,” in honor of his mother.
Astin spoke of Duke’s incredible ability to connect with people. He said she had a gift of making all people feel included.
Astin reflected on his mother using her celebrity to shed light on mental illness. Duke spoke openly about her struggles with bipolar disorder.
“She put a beautiful face to the illness,” he said.
Astin was followed by a friend of Duke.
"She was a mother to more than than she will ever know," he said.
Actress Melissa Gilbert also spoke. Gilbert is known for her work on Little House on the Prairie.
”How could God make something so small, but so mighty?” she said of Duke.
Duke and Gilbert were friends for nearly 40 years. They shared the screen together in the 1979 movie, “The Miracle Worker.” They worked together another three times throughout their careers.
Gilbert talked about what it was like to work with one of her best friends. She described Duke as a mentor, costar, advocate, leader, friend and family member.
“Anna loved to laugh,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert fondly described the memories she shared with Duke, while cracking jokes as Duke would have done.
“She had courage like no one I’ve ever known,” said Gilbert.
Duke’s nephew also spoke about living in his aunt’s Coeur d’Alene home for a while.
Mike Kennedy said Duke played many roles in her life but very few people saw her play the role of landlord.
It started when Duke moved his grandmother closer to them so she could get the help she need as she got older.
Kennedy said he lived in her basement while he tried to figure out what to do with his life. He then moved into the home Duke had bought for his grandmother and stayed with her.
Kennedy said at the time, the living situation caused some turmoil. But as time went on, he and Duke were able to laugh about it.