A tearful goodbye for Miami Marlins star Jose Fernandez

Beloved Miami Marlins pitching ace Jose Fernandez, known for his live fastball and an even livelier personality, is to be laid to rest Thursday, but only after an emotional day of mourning that had his teammates and the public in tears.

“The way he smiled, that look on his face - we will never forget him,” said Dianela Mesa, 71, one of thousands of people who filed past Fernandez’s closed casket Wednesday at St. Brendan Catholic Church in Southwest Miami-Dade.

“He was Cuban, but he belonged to everybody.”

The public viewing for Fernandez, 24, who died with two others in a boat crash early Sunday, was held at a church in the heart of the largely-Cuban Westchester section of Miami-Dade, and well before the doors opened at 5 p.m. more than 1,500 people lined Southwest 87th Avenue waiting to get in.

Once mourners were allowed in, the line moved smoothly and steadily as they approached the altar where the dark wood casket was flanked by large floral bouquets, one of the American flag, another of the Cuban flag. Nearby were nine photo enlargements: Fernandez on the mound, Fernandez hugging fans, Fernandez with an ear-to-ear smile. The mourners arrived in a steady stream until the doors of the church closed at 11 p.m.

Many paused briefly to make the sign of the cross, lay a finger on the coffin. High school student Thalia Cedeno bent and touched her forehead to the wood. “I still can’t believe it,” said Cedeno, 17. “This is our goodbye to him.”

Chris Mederos, 16, of Hialeah, wore his youth baseball uniform. “I came to give my condolences and my thanks to him for playing baseball ,” he said. “He motivated me.”

The day of tribute began in the early afternoon on the west plaza of Marlins Park where fans gathered to pay their respects as a hearse carried Fernandez’s body away from the playing field he made his kingdom during a too-brief career.

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Mourners file past a photo of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez during a memorial service at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church in Miami on Wednesday.  (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

Rain fell just as the hearse arrived to begin what would serve as a funeral procession through the streets of Miami. The shower was brief but the mood was set and tears continued to flow, particularly among Marlins players who formed a phalanx around the hearse to offer a sorrowful farewell to their teammate.

All of the players wore a white T-shirt with a giant RIP on the front. The figure of Fernandez, head slightly bowed, formed the I.

As the hearse began to move along Felo Ramirez Drive - at 2:16 p.m., a nod to the No. 16 jersey Fernandez wore - the crowd started a chant of “Jose! Jose!” which later morphed into song.

J.T. Realmuto, the catcher for many of Fernandez’s performances while he compiled a remarkable 29-2 record at Marlins Park, peered in the window at the casket. Right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, wearing dark sunglasses and towering above the rest, walked behind the Cadillac hearse alongside diminutive second baseman Dee Gordon.

It was Gordon who hit the dramatic home run leading off the bottom of the first inning Monday in the first game after Fernandez died.

The Cuban-born All-Star, along with friends Eduardo Rivero, 25, and Emilio Macias, 27, perished when the 32-foot boat they were in slammed into the rock jetty protruding into the Atlantic off the southern tip of Miami Beach.

The wreckage of the boat was spotted by the Coast Guard around 3:30 a.m. The bodies were recovered before dawn.

Wakes for Rivero and Macias, high school pals from Southwest Miami, were held Wednesday in Hialeah, and attended by hundreds of family and friends.

The cause of the crash that left the SeaVee center console owned by Fernandez overturned on top of the rocks remains under investigation.

Before the hearse made the left turn onto Marlins Way it stopped. The players gathered around it for a silent moment as shouts of “We love you, Jose” continued to resound from the crowd.

As the players filed back to the ballpark, Stanton walked arm in arm with outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who said he turned down an invitation from Fernandez to accompany him on the boat late Saturday.

Among the hundreds who arrived at stadium before noon was Cuban-American Raquel Rodriguez, 30, who described Fernandez as “a beacon of hope.

“To hear his story, how he struggled and persevered — he showed people that you could do it, you can live the American dream,” said Rodriguez.

Explaining the emotional attachment felt by the community as well as the team, Coral Springs native Rick Gerena, 31, said, “He loved everybody. I’ve never seen a player take his time out like he did, signing autographs. Especially on days he was supposed to be getting ready to pitch, he was out there talking to kids and parents.

“It almost felt like he was one of us out there. Losing him is devastating, it really is.”

The shrine to Fernandez outside the stadium continued to grow Wednesday, as fans arrived with posters, caps, baseballs, gloves, pictures and messages.

“Jose, thanks you for leaving the world and the game better than you found it,” said one printed messaged taped to the wall.

“Big NY Mets fan! Bigger Jose Fernandez fan,” read another.

Sitting outside the stadium, staring at Fernandez’s portrait on the electronic sign, was Adriane Knight, 50, on medical leave from her job as a concession stand manager. She said she was captivated by the way Fernandez became the center of attention, even when he took the field to warm up.

“You had to keep your eyes on him,” said Knight, of Miami, “because with him you were always expecting something spectacular to happen.”

She was there to pay tribute, she said, “because I am not going to see him again. That is shocking.”

After leaving the stadium, the funeral procession made a brief stop at Ermita de la Caridad (Shrine of Our Lady of Charity), on South Miami Avenue, for a blessing. Our Lady of Charity is the patron saint of Cuba.

Earlier Wednesday, the Rev. Juan Rumin Dominguez, rector of Our Lady, told reporters, “This is a very sad situation for all of us, but we are praying with faith and hope for his soul and for his family.”

By the time the hearse arrived at the church, many were already waiting, determined to pay their respects no matter how long it took.

“I’m here representing the family” said Christina Blanco, 30, who drove from her home in West Palm Beach. Her husband was working and her parents couldn’t make the trek. “My parents are from Santa Clara, same hometown as Jose and so this is important.

“This brings us together as a community, the Cuban community,” said Blanco, an employment recruiter. “He represented the American dream and his death impacts us a lot.”

Back at Marlins Park, as the team prepared to play the Mets in a third outing without their right-handed star, manager Don Mattingly reflected on the day.

“I’ve never been involved in anything like that,” he said. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

Pitcher Tom Koehler said, “It was terrible. I say it’s terrible in that I never thought I’d have to be part of something like that.

“You got a 24-year-old who’s on top of the world. We’re talking behind his hearse. We’re watching Miami’s hero drive down the street.”

The void was vast. Marlins fan Nick Mallory, 22, said he felt it most clearly when he walked up the aisle to the casket and stood in front of his fallen hero.

“You keep thinking it’s not true.” said Mallory, of Kendall. “You see the pictures on every side of the church. It’s all quiet. You can tell it’s hitting everyone.

“I think Miami lost a great person. That’s the bottom line.”

Staff writer Tim Healey contributed to this report.