Saturday, TODAY host and weatherman Al Roker attended his friend and mentor Willard Scott’s funeral, on top of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
That’s a lot of emotions to juggle in one day, especially for Roker. He called the late TODAY weatherman his “second dad” on multiple occasions and took the loss hard. And according to the pictures he posted yesterday from the service, he also spoke at Scott’s funeral.
But Al Roker didn’t call the event a funeral. He called it a “homegoing celebration,” which feels right. Scott died peacefully in his home, surrounded by friends and family, at the age of 87 earlier this month. He had a long life and career at NBC, working there for 65 years before retiring in 2015. And he became extremely close with Roker, who took up the weatherman mantle from Scott in the 1990s.
In the Instagram post, Roker included photos from the service. He shared a glimpse of the program cover, featuring Scott holding an umbrella. He also showed the inside of the program, where his name shows he spoke at the event. We also see a postcard with another photo of Scott, along with an Irish blessing on the back.
“Attended the #homegoing#celebration of #willardscott It was an emotional day on top of the #20thanniversary of #911 and the passing of @debrobertsabc mom, Ruth Roberts 6 years ago,” Roker captioned the post.
Deborah Roberts is Al Roker’s wife. So, in addition to his mentor’s funeral, and 9/11, Roker also had to grieve for his mother-in-law yesterday.
Al Roker Posts Sunday Motivation Video Day After Willard Scott’s Funeral
After an emotionally heavy day Saturday, Al Roker decided to focus on fostering peace today. The weatherman took to his Instagram once again to share a video of him walking in Central Park. Though he posts these walking videos fairly regularly, today’s message really resonated.
“Well, it’s a gorgeous morning here in Central Park, getting a quick 45 minutes in,” Roker begins, referencing his walk.
“Yesterday was a tough day for so many people, all around the world,” he continues. “I hope you were able to find some peace and be able to move on.”
He signed off with a, “So anyway, hope you’re having a great Sunday,” and promised that he’ll see everyone on the TODAY show tomorrow morning. He captioned the post, “Hope you have a #serenesunday and today brings to some peace.”
Even in the face of all the hard-hitting emotions he went through yesterday, Al Roker promises to still be present and engaged when we see him next on our screens.
