Hundreds Mourn Longtime Minnesota Rep. Oberstar

POTOMAC, Md. (AP) — Friends and family are remembering longtime Minnesota U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar for his insatiable curiosity and his passion for transportation.

About 500 people attended Oberstar's funeral Mass Thursday at his home Catholic church in a Washington, D.C., suburb, where he lived throughout his 36-year career in Congress and afterward.

Both Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken touted Oberstar's successful career in Congress.

Reports say former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said "we all learned" from Oberstar.

Oberstar died in his sleep last weekend at age 79. The northeastern Minnesota Democrat was first elected to Congress in 1974 and served 18 terms — the state's longest-serving member of Congress. He lost to GOP challenger Chip Cravaack in 2010.

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