SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah congresswoman Mia Love will lie in state at the Utah State Capitol, allowing the public to pay their respects to the pioneering politician who died of cancer over the weekend.
The public is invited to the capitol on Sunday, April 6 as Love lies in state from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
A public memorial service for Love will be held the next day at the Institute of Religion on the University of Utah campus, starting at 10 a.m.
“Mia was a person who really to the end was someone who showed bravery, courage and faith,” said friend Kari Malkovich.
Love, who battled glioblastoma brain cancer, was the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, representing the state's 4th District from 2015 to 2019.
What is glioblastoma, the aggressive brain cancer that killed former Rep. Love?
Earlier this month, Love's family announced that the cancer was no longer responding to treatment, and that they had "shifted our focus from treatment to enjoying our remaining time with her."
Love died Sunday evening "peacefully ... in her home surrounded by family" at the age of 49.
Days after her friend's death, Malkovich shared how the two met through a shared passion for local government.
“[Love] was one of a kind and she wanted everyone else to be their one of a kind,” said Malkovich.
Love's influence was felt outside Utah where a Maryland State Delegate honored the late congresswoman with a tribute on the floor of her own House that included a moment of silence.
"Being a conservative Republican, especially in a blue state such as Maryland. It’s not easy, but she really helped me gain my voice and to be outspoken,” explained delegate LaToya Nkongolo, adding that she was a trailblazer for Black Republican women.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to either the Robert Preston Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University or the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
