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Author Message   Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 2444 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2006 - 11:45 am:        I suppose such funerals were had and such things were had shortly before the Fall of the Roman Empire Ken Lay's memorial attracts power elite George H.W. Bush, James Baker among attendees at packed church for the Enron founder; reverend compares fallen energy titan to Jesus. July 12 2006: 6:10 PM EDT HOUSTON (Reuters) -- Houston's political and business leaders, including former President George H.W. Bush, turned out for Kenneth Lay's memorial service Wednesday, less than a week after the Enron founder's sudden death. Friends and family lauded as a devout Christian and family leader the man who built Enron into an international energy powerhouse before its collapse in the biggest corporate scandal of its time. Ken Lay Lay's stepson David Herrold told the nearly full First United Methodist Church that Lay was wrongly convicted, and he was angry about the portrayals of his stepfather in the media. "He did have a strong faith in God and I know he's in heaven, and I'm glad he's not in a position anymore to be whipped by his enemy," Herrold said. Lay, who was 64, died while vacationing in Colorado on July 5, just six weeks after a jury convicted him and former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling of conspiracy and fraud in the 2001 collapse of the energy company. Lay was found guilty of 10 counts of conspiracy, fraud and misusing personal bank loans on May 25 and was facing decades in prison at his sentencing, which was scheduled for Oct. 23. Lay was a longtime friend of the Bushes, contributing to their political campaigns and was nicknamed "Kenny Boy" by President George W. Bush. The former president and his wife Barbara entered and exited the church by a rear exit and did not speak to the media. Among the other luminaries at the service were former Secretary of State James Baker, former Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher Sr., several corporate heads such as Reliant Energy Inc.'s Joel Staff, and baseball team owner Drayton McLane. The ceremony started slightly late after former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier collapsed in the aisle as he entered the church. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and an announcement made later in the ceremony said he was in stable condition. Lay was cremated in Colorado, where a memorial service was held for him on Sunday. Skilling attended that service but was not seen at the Houston memorial. One former Enron employee wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Enron's crooked "E" logo came by the First Methodist Church of Houston but did not attend the service. She said she came out of respect for Lay. "He was a good person who did a bad thing. Justice was served by finding him guilty," said Marie Watkins, a former tax analyst who worked with Lay at Enron and Florida Gas for 27 years. She said she lost 90 percent of her retirement portfolio when the company imploded. The Reverend Dr. Bill Lawson compared Lay with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ, and said his name would eventually be cleared. "He was taken out of the world right at the right time," he said. "History has a way of vindicating people who have been wronged." Next: Quotes from Ken Lay memorial service Related: Death of a disgraced energy salesman   Doberman23 "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Doberman23 Post Number: 459 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Thursday, July 13, 2006 - 08:43 pm:        i bet you that grave will be dugg up and someone will probably disgrace ken lay's body by giving him some arabian googles or perhaps turning his corpse into a urinal ... guess he wouldn't care seeing as he can't complain.   Mzuri "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Mzuri Post Number: 929 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 08:28 pm:        Autopsy: Lay Had Severely Clogged Arteries Wednesday July 19, 7:14 PM EDT HOUSTON (AP) — Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay had three severely clogged arteries and had experienced at least two heart attacks before he died, according to autopsy results released Wednesday. The report blames severe coronary artery disease for Lay's death. It also said the autopsy showed Lay had suffered at least two previous heart attacks and had two stents implanted. The Lays were vacationing near Aspen, Colo., when he died. The report, prepared by the coroner in Mesa County, Colo., said Lay was last seen alive by his wife on July 5 at 1 a.m., when he woke up and went into a bathroom. Minutes later, she heard a "thump," and found him on the floor, the report said. He had vomited and showed signs of having a seizure. Linda Lay called paramedics, but Lay was pronounced dead on arrival at Aspen Valley Hospital. Lay, 64, and former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling were convicted May 25 of fraud and conspiracy for lying to investors and the public about the financial health of Enron before the energy company he founded collapsed in 2001. He also was convicted of one count of bank fraud and three counts of lying to banks in a separate, non-jury trial before U.S. Judge Sim Lake stemming from his personal banking. Lay died insisting he'd committed no crimes, and planned to appeal. Skilling, who now faces sentencing alone on Oct. 23, also aims to appeal and faces decades in prison. Lay's death sparked myriad conspiracy theories on the Internet, some tongue-in-cheek, others questioning whether he faked his demise to avoid prison.