Pass Christian, Miss. ? A somber Brett Favre was surrounded by family and friends Wednesday as he said goodbye to the man they called “Big Irv.”

Hundreds gathered on a crisp, sunny day at a church on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for funeral services for Irvin Favre, who died Sunday. Some waited on line for as much as an hour.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback, dressed in a dark sport coat and black polo shirt, greeted mourners with a smile and hugged those he knew among the crowd. He did not speak at his father’s funeral, according to Favre family spokesman James “Bus” Cook.

Favre and other family members, including his wife and mother, followed clergy and pallbearers and the casket out of the church. The casket was draped with yellow roses on a bed of green ferns, the colors of the Packers. The pallbearers all worn yellow roses.

Packers coach Mike Sherman attended the service with backup quarterback Doug Pederson.

“They are a very strong family,” Sherman said. “Brett has a very strong Packer family as well back in Green Bay who will support him and be there for him also.”

Reporters and photographers were kept out of the church.

Cook said Favre’s sister, Brandi, and another family member spoke, saying “how special Irvin Favre was and how they weren’t just saying goodbye but farewell for now.”

A line of mourners stretched out of the church and down the block before the service.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS stand in line to enter St. Paul's Catholic Church during visitation for Irvin Favre, the father of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. Services were held Wednesday in Pass Christian, Miss.

Cook said “Big Irv” would be missed, but he instilled a sense of toughness into the family that will help them get through this loss.

“He was the pillar of this family. The rock on which it was built,” Cook said. “He was a father, but he was like a brother to them, too.”

The 58-year-old Irvin Favre, a popular coaching figure in southern Mississippi, died of a heart attack or stroke while driving near his home in Kiln. His car ran into a ditch, but authorities have said the crash did not kill him.

Irvin Favre coached football and baseball in the area for nearly three decades. He coached at St. John High School in Biloxi and later he coached his three sons — including Brett — at Hancock North Central.

Even with young Brett starting at quarterback for three years, Favre’s Hancock North Central team ran the wishbone.

“I always told my dad the wishbone would never get me to pro football,” Favre joked after winning an unprecedented third straight NFL MVP award in 1997. “Thanks, Dad.”

Brett Favre made his 205th consecutive start Monday night in Oakland, the day after his father’s death. It turned out to be one of his best ever.

He threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Packers to a pivotal 41-7 win over the Raiders. Favre and his wife, Deanna, flew to Mississippi after the game.

The Packers still have a shot to make the playoffs and win the NFC North championship. They play Denver at home Sunday.

Irvin Favre was a high school coach for 28 years before resigning in 1994.

He returned to coaching with the Mississippi Fire Dogs, an indoor minor league football team that played in Biloxi. He led the Fire Dogs to a 17-1 season and National Indoor Football League championship.