Candlelight vigil held for John Glenn in hometown church

FILE - In this May 14, 2015 file photo, former astronaut and senator John Glenn answers questions during an interview at the Ohio Statehouse. Glenn died Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, at the age of 95. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File) (The Associated Press)

This undated photo made available by NASA shows astronaut John Glenn in his Mercury flight suit. Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth who later spent 24 years representing Ohio in the Senate, died Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, at the age of 95. (NASA via AP) (The Associated Press)

John Glenn's hometown church in Ohio has held a candlelight vigil to celebrate the life and legacy of the hero-astronaut.

People gathered Sunday night at Westminster Presbyterian Church in New Concord, where Glenn was a lifelong member. The Zanesville Times Recorder (http://ohne.ws/2hedb0B ) reports they said prayers, sang songs and shared stories of the man many of them knew and loved.

Glenn became a national hero in 1962 when he became the first American to orbit the Earth. He then spent 24 years as a Democrat from Ohio in the U.S. Senate. He died Thursday at the age of 95.

Glenn is expected to lie in state from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday in the Statehouse Rotunda. The event will be open to the public.

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Information from: Times Recorder, http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com