Columbia, SC (WLTX) – One woman in Columbia who served as part of George H.W. Bush’s security detail is remembering the 41st President after his death.
Some say you can measure a person by how much of an impact they left on the lives around them. Mary Louise Resch knew the Bush family better than most of us.
"It’s going to be a big loss. We need more statesmen like George H.W. Bush. “I had the honor of working security detail for the Bush's when I was in the military," said Resch.
She worked closely with the family in the 1980's when George H. W. Bush was Vice-President under President Ronald Regan.
"I've worked enough details where elected officials, where you were treated as part of the furniture and ignored. The Bush's never did that. What you saw in public is also what you saw behind the scenes. They were very genuine," explained Resch.
Resch says part of the legacy that Bush leaves behind is the ability to work together for the common good.
"Even though he was a Republican, he would work with both sides of the aisle if something needed to be addressed and to me that means more than all the rewards or the accolades that anyone can get," said Resch.
The 41st President of the United States helped start the Points of Light organization that supports people volunteering in their community.
Resch was actually named a point of light for the organization.
Resch, who now works at Harvest Hope in Columbia, believes Bush's heart to make a difference, has inspired countless lives.
"He and his wife Barbara thought that there were a thousand points of light in the darkness. He was the brightest point of life. He set the example. He set the tone for the rest of us that were particularly in the non-profit sector," explained Resch.
She believes H.W.'s legacy will live on forever.
"Continues to be those points of light in the darkness. Continue to make a difference one child at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time. I think that will leave a larger legacy for the Bush's in years to come," said Resch.