Obama, Clintons remember Tubbs-Jones

CLEVELAND, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama spoke at a memorial service Saturday for Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio.

Obama was joined at the service in Cleveland by U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and her husband, the former president. In his remarks on Tubbs-Jones, Obama remembered that the congresswoman had supported Clinton during the Democratic primaries, ABC News reported.

"During this most recent contest Stephanie and I started off on different sides," he said. "We would see each other and she would say to me 'this is what it means to be a friend' -- and all I could say is, 'I understand' -- and that is a testimony to her and the kind of person she was."

Sen. Clinton also spoke, remembering her work on voting rights with Tubbs-Jones.

Bill Clinton, who had not been scheduled to speak, gave some impromptu remarks. He told the audience he recently gave Tubbs-Jones some jewelry.

"You know," he said she told him, "It's not often a man will give a woman a piece of jewelry and not want anything for it."

Tubbs-Jones died of a brain aneurysm Aug. 20. She had served almost four terms in Congress, where she was the first black woman to represent Ohio.