David Letterman's eulogy for his mother was both sweet and funny as the retired late night talk show host shared stories about the woman described as "everyone's mom" on Saturday at Indianapolis' Second Presbyterian Church.
Dorothy Mengering died last Tuesday at 95 at her suburban Indianapolis home in Carmel.
Letterman described how his mother calmly killed a snake in her garden, taking a hoe to whack off its head, said the Indianapolis Star.
"My mother is Grizzly Adams for God's sake," Letterman said of the woman who gained fame on Letterman's show as "Dave's Mom" and became his correspondent to the Winter Olympics Games.
Letterman said he remembers executives telling him about increasing his mother's appearances on his show.
"We should have your mother on the show all the time," Letterman said about the executives. "No, we're serious, People like her better than you."
The New York Daily News noted that Mengering first appeared in person on "Late Night with David Letterman" in 1986, after years of guest spots on the telephone. She appeared at the Winter Olympics for the show in 1994, 1998 and 2002.
Letterman spoke of his mother's strong work ethic and independence, while maintaining a nurturing presence for her children and grandchildren, said the Star.
"We didn't want for anything because of my mom," he said.
Mengering's granddaughter, Annagrace Letterman Shelton, remembered her grandmother as a women's rights supporter while another granddaughter, Bryn Millholland Mooth, remembered her homemade noodles and raspberry chiffon pie.
Mengering, born Dorothy Marie Hofert on July 18, 1921, married florist Joe Letterman in 1942 and he died in 1973. They had three children, David Letterman and his sisters Jan and Gretchen, noted the Star. She married Hans Mengering in 1983.
Letterman, who has kept a low profile since retiring from "Late Night" in 2015, inducted Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7 at the Brooklyn's Barclays Center, noted The Hollywood Reporter.
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