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Family, Friends Pack Grace Cathedral To Celebrate Life Of Wilkes Bashford

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Friends and family packed Grace Cathedral Friday to celebrate the life of Wilkes Bashford, the San Francisco clothier who dressed the City's most nattily attired.

The Wilkes Bashford stores on Sutter Street and in Palo Alto were closed for the day so employees could attend the memorial service. A tweet on the beloved retailer's Twitter account showed an old fashioned typewriter with a sheet reading, "Dear All, Gone shopping... Love Wilkes."

Apparently, the rain did not deter people from coming to pay their respects. One guest tweeted, "Grace Cathedral was so packed... I'm wondering why he never ran for office."

Bashford was a patron of the arts, and a bon vivant. His brand of style and elegance was mirrored by such dear friends as the late SF Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.

He died January 17 in his San Francisco home after battling cancer. He was 82.


CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.

 

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