he also loved very much his wife, erma, his late wife erma.and talked about her a lot to many of us. he loved to play the fiddle. and early on when i came to the united states senate, if you expressed even the least interest in music, he would get you down to his office and put a tape in his recording device to show that he played the fiddle on the program "hee haw." he was someone who loved west virginia, loved his country, was a friend to all of us. and today is a very sad day for all of us who see a desk who was occupied by a really great united states senator for so many decades now occupied with a dozen roses and a black cloth signifying that we have lost this great man. america has lost a great public servant and for one as a member of the united states senate, it has been my great privilege to serve while senator byrd served in this body. madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i appreciate the words of the senator from north dakota. i recall sitting here on the fl

erma was his soul mate, his best friend and trusted counselor. their marriage was something to behold. my wife, sharon, and i loved watching them together. he became a different person. they radiated an extraordinary faith in god, in each other, and the beautiful family they built with each other which, in the end, he loved the must. inde, it was the time that roberrobert c. byrd spent with s daughters and their husnd and children and grandchildren and great grandchildren that brought great joy to his life. with sadness in my heart, i also have joy at the thought of my friend united with his precious erma, with his dear grandson that he lost at a young age, and we all know, those off us who have been here for several years, the agony that he went through at the death of that young man, setting up a shrine in his office. it affected him deeply. it was interesting that a man who could be so oriented toward policy and sometimes almost remote from personal matters as a professional self-definiti could be so utterly moved by sadness in his own life an

he would save it for his future wife, erma. that relationship grew and was warm and inspiring throughout his life. and her passing a number of years ago was a very sad time in the life of senator byrd. obviously it's also a very sad time in the state of west virginia. they were a couple to be beloved by west virginia. i remember another touching moment. when my father passed almost 10 years ago, senator byrd attended his funeral and continued on after the service for about an hour's drive to where dad was intured. and senator byrd, after the service, pulled me aside and told me what a lovely cemetery this was for dad's resting place. finally, i knew senator byrd as a friend. i cannot remember a time when he was not in my life. and i will miss my friend, my wife, barbara and i offer our deepest condolences and our best wishes to senator byrd's family, to his staff and to that close, wonderful circle of people who knew him and loved him. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia. mr. rahall

the people's senator, and he cared so deeply about everyone, and most of all, i think his beloved erma, when he lost her, it was different. but he came back and was determined to fight. i can honestly say that he was my friend and i loved him. host: do you remember the last conversation you had with the senator? caller: yes, i do, and i also remember when i was honored as an outstanding democrat. he held my hand. host: what was that last conversation? caller: he held my hand -- that last conversation was two years ago. when he was in west virginia to speed -- speak. he met with a lot of us. he really gave us a pep talk about our party, and serving the people. host: finally, margaret. was there any discussion -- i hate that, i know he just passed -- but was there any discussion last night about a potential appointee that the governor might make? caller: no, we all have feelings on what might happen, which i would rather not discuss today. but there was no formal talk about it. host: thank you for calling in and sharing your experience with senator byrd. david, massachusetts, republican.

the people's senator, and he cared so deeply about everyone, and most of all, i think his beloved erma when he lost her, it was different. but he came back and was determined to fight. i can honestly say that he was my friend and i loved him. host: do you remember the last conversation you had with the senator? caller: yes, i do, and i also remember when i was honored as an outstanding democrat. he held my hand. host: what was that last conversation? caller: he held my hand -- that last conversation was two years ago. when he was in west virginia to speed -- speak. he met with a lot of us. he really gave us a pep talk about our party, and serving the people. host: finally, margaret. was there any discussion -- i hate that, i know he just passed -- but was there any discussion last night about a potential appointee that the governor might make? >> we are leaving this "washington journal" segment to go live to the u.s. house. there maybe two bids to the late senator, robert byrd, who passed away today at the age of 92. funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. [captioning perform