UPDATE 3:30 p.m.:

Gregoire choked back tears and Heck wiped his away as they  remembered their former boss.

“We all knew this day would come, that Booth would find a better place.” Gregoire said. “We just didn’t know how hard it would be.”

It wasn’t all sadness. Between Gregoire, Heck, Gardner’s half brother Bill Clapp and his grandson Jack Nettleton, the crowd learned a lot about Gardner’s quirky side, including these tales of junk food:

• He didn’t remember his daughter’s home phone number but could rattle off the number to Tacoma hamburger joint Frisko Freeze.
• He would

…

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HBO2 will debut the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Last Campaign of Gov. Booth Gardner” Wednesday at 8 p.m., with repeats on Nov. 9 and 18. The short film chronicles the ex-governor and Tacoma resident’s fight for Washington’s 2008 physician-assisted-suicide law.

Here’s more from HBO:

OSCAR®-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY
THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER,
CHRONICLING ONE MAN’S CRUSADE FOR A DEATH WITH DIGNITY INITIATIVE,
DEBUTS OCT. 27, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO2

In 1994, a year after serving two terms as one of the most popular governors in modern Washington State history, Booth Gardner was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In 2008, as his health continued to deteriorate, he returned to the political spotlight, this time as the driving force behind a ballot initiative that would legalize one’s choice to die.
Oscar®-nominated earlier this year in the category of Best Documentary (Short Subject), THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER chronicles his controversial crusade, looking at both sides of this hotly debated issue, when it debuts WEDNESDAY, OCT. 27 (8:00-8:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO2.
Other HBO2 playdates: Nov. 9 (5:00 p.m.) and 18 (1:15 p.m.)

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Adorning the endorsement rolls on the campaign websites of Tacoma mayoral candidates Marilyn Strickland and Jim Merritt is the same prominent name: Booth Gardner.

The former Washington governor and Tacoma resident is heralded as a top supporter by both campaigns.  He’s the first name atop a long list of familiar names on Strickland’s site, and at the top of Merritt’s endorsement page, which prominently proclaimed (as of this morning) in bold letters:

We are honored to have the endorsement of former Governor Booth Gardner.

So which campaign can truly stake claim to Gardner’s endorsement?

Well, both — and by logical extension, neither.
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