Kevorkian is recalled as braving the ‘wrath of society’ for assisting suicides

A niece, Ava Janus, said Kevorkian had deep respect for anyone who was competent at their craft, and was loyal to the Detroit Tigers no matter the baseball team’s fortunes.

A friend, Ruth Holmes, recalled Kevorkian arriving at her home with just a toothbrush and fresh underwear to escape media attention in 1998 after he assisted in the death of Thomas Youk, a man with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He stayed with her family for six months.

It was video of Youk’s death aired by CBS’s “60 Minutes’’ that eventually led to Kevorkian being convicted of second-degree murder.

“Few men are willing to brave … the wrath of society,’’ she said. “That was our dear friend, Jack Kevorkian.’’

The casket was draped with the US flag to signify his service in the Korean War.

His friend and attorney, Mayer Morganroth, noted that inmates lined up to cheer Kevorkian when he was released from prison in 2007 after eight years.

Kevorkian used throwaway parts to build a so-called suicide machine, which injected lethal drugs. He helped people die in their homes, motels, and in the back of his rusty Volkswagen van and often took their bodies to hospital emergency rooms.