WASHINGTON (WLS) — The public funeral celebrating former President Jimmy Carter’s life and legacy was coordinated by a family that hails from the Chicago suburbs.

Rick Jasculca, a Chicago public affairs executive, worked for and with Carter for years, and considered him family.

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It was a somber day that included stories of Carter that brought laughs, as well as tears.

Thursday was a national day of mourning to honor and remember Carter; President Joe Biden delivered a eulogy.

“Throughout his life he showed us what it means to be a practitioner of good works, a good and faithful servant of God and of the people,” Biden said.

The gathering was a time for the nation to come together, to put aside politics and join the Carter family in remembering the legacy of the 39th president.

“They were small town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from, no matter what happened in their lives,” grandson Jason Carter said.

Jasculca worked on Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign, and did advance work when Carter became president.

He later joined his daughters, Lauren and Aimee, and son, Andrew, working with the Carter Center.

The four family members served as overall coordinators of the ceremony Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Jasculca reflected on the ceremony before returning to Chicago.

“It was really beautiful. You know, I think it really captured the totality of Jimmy Carter,” Jasculca said.

It was a sentiment echoed often during Thursday’s ceremony.

“He had the courage and strength to stick to his principals, even when they were politically unpopular,” Jason Carter said.

Jasculca considered Carter a second father, who became dear to his entire family.

“My grandkids call me ‘Bop’; that’s their name for me. And they call President Carter ‘Bop Jimmy,’” Jasculca said.

Jasculca said, during their ceremony, he had a few moments. But, the emotions really hit him after.

“But, when we got to Andrews Air Force Base, and I knew this was the last time, you know, I’d be able to say goodbye, I just I, I’ll be honest, I bust out crying on the tarmac,” Jasculca said.

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said that they arrested a person who attempted to set his car ablaze near the U.S. Capitol building during President-elect Trump’s visit late Wednesday.

“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”

The agency said that during Trump’s visit with Republican senators and his time paying respect to President Carter, a 35-year-old man from Virginia attempted to set his car on fire.

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Police said that just before 5:30 p.m., USCP officers were alerted to a man who had parked on First Street, NW, near the Grant Memorial, and had lit a bag on fire atop his vehicle. 

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When officers ran over to the man, the bag extinguished on its own. 

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jason Reed)

Out of an abundance of caution, the USCP said that the vehicle was declared suspicious, and the agency’s Hazardous Incident Response Division cleared the vehicle. 

Officials determined that the car was not a danger at approximately 7 p.m.

The car had been spray-painted. Investigators determined that accelerants were in the bag. The driver was arrested for unlawful activities.

The U.S. Capitol Police stopped a man from entering the Capitol at a security checkpoint, after he was found to allegedly have a machete and three knives in his bag. (U.S. Capitol Police)

Hours prior to this arrest, the USCP detained a man who attempted to carry a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). 

The Capitol Police said in a social media post that the incident happened just after 2 p.m., when officers working at a security screening at the CVC’s north doors spotted a machete in the man’s bag.

The X-ray machine was stopped as the bag went through, then police arrested 44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., before securing the machete.

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Police said Horne was arrested for multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and will be interviewed by investigators to determine his motive.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.