Independance, Mo. ? Family, friends and employees current and past gathered Tuesday to say a final farewell to Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who was remembered for his contributions to football, to the city and to the lives of the people he touched with his humility, vision and kindness.

“I must say that towns become cities when someone comes along with the daring of the soul,” said Emanuel Cleaver, the former mayor of Kansas City and now a U.S. congressman. “Make no mistake, before Lamar brought the Chiefs to Kansas City in 1963, this was a town known for its lively stockyards, picturesque boulevards and the dubious distinction as the home of the Kansas City Athletics.

“When the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the world had to pay attention.”

About 2,500 people, including former Chiefs coaches Dick Vermeil, Marty Schottenheimer and Gunther Cunningham, attended the two-hour memorial for Hunt, who died Dec. 13 in Dallas after a long fight with prostate cancer.

Hunt, founder of the AFL and a force in the merger with the NFL, was remembered as a man who gave freely with grace and enthusiasm until the end.

Carl Peterson, Chiefs president and general manager, recalled Hunt’s enthusiasm and how he would walk the parking lot on game days, extending his hand to any and all.

Kansas City quarterback Trent Green, back left, and former players Len Dawson, center, and Bobby Bell make their way to a memorial service for Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt. The service was held Tuesday at Community of Christ Auditorium in Independence, Mo.

“‘Hi, I’m Lamar Hunt,'” he would tell the fans. “Lamar was an uncommon man who had no pretenses,” Peterson said.

Peterson, whose voice trembled with emotion, said Hunt also was proud of the fact that the Chiefs “had season-ticket-holders in 48 states and the District of Columbia.”

“I don’t know if any other team can say that,” Peterson said. “But I can say that Lamar was always questioning me and our ticket office on why we couldn’t find somebody in the states of Maine and Vermont to make the Chiefs nation complete.”

Overall, Hunt was inducted into eight halls of fame and won 13 championships in five sports. Six came from the Chicago Bulls; he was a part-owner since their inception.

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said Hunt was being honored for being so humble.

“Humility is a hard thing in our world today,” Edwards said. “But through everything he accomplished he was always putting other people in the forefront and giving people opportunities.”

An image of Kansas city chiefs owner Lamar Hunt is projected onto a screen as Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, lower left, and Dawson, lower right, participate in the service.

Hunt’s son, Clark Hunt, who had been groomed to take over Hunt’s far-flung sports empire that includes football, tennis, soccer and other enterprises, spoke to the Kansas City fans, many of whom attended the public service clad in Chiefs sweat shirts and jackets.

“Even though my dad called Dallas home for much of his adult life, his heart belonged to Kansas City,” Clark Hunt said.

He told of a recent party where conversation turned to favorite places: Nantucket, Hawaii, the French Riviera.

“When it was Dad’s turn, he did not hesitate in responding with ‘Arrowhead Stadium,”‘ Clark Hunt said. “After a little prodding from the other guests, he went on to explain that no place on earth brought him more joy than the home of the Chiefs.”

Clark Hunt also told of a recent visit with the family at Hunt’s hospital bedside. When the family solemnly began to file out of the room, “he gave us one last instruction. ‘Go Chiefs.'”