"He was a cheerful malcontent. Because Pete was a cheerful malcontent, he was also a happy warrior."

That was the description of former Congressman and Delaware Governor Pierre "Pete" du Pont supplied by Washington journalist George Will during a memorial service Friday afternoon.

Governor du Pont died in May 2021, but due to various COVID gathering restrictions, it took nearly a full year for him to be honored.

Among the speakers was one of du Pont's successors, as Delaware Governor John Carney recalled how du Pont's economic policies still resonate a generation later.

"Our economy is built on the back of Governor du Pont's decisions. Our state's perfect credit rating is due to the budget rules he put in place 40 years ago."

Delaware was suffering from economic woes when du Pont took over the Governorship in 1988, starting what would be 8 straight balanced budgets.

"It's certainly a testament to Pete's character and love of his of our state that he took a very hard job at an extremely difficult time, when he could have done almost anything he wanted."

Before leading Delaware, du Pont served in the U.S. House from 1971-1977, and Carney said du Pont didn't really fit in one of the bigger crowds.

"He considered himself in what he called a triple minority there. He was from a small state, he was a Republican in an overwhelming Democratic chamber, and he was a moderate in a caucus run by conservatives. "

Governor du Pont's son Thère recalled his father's 1988 Presidential campaign thesis.

"He described his platform as five 'Damn, right' issues. The kind of positions that a family sitting around its kitchen table would say 'damn, right, that's exactly what we ought to do.' These controversial issues included replacing the social security system with private savings accounts, ending foreign subsidies, making driver's licenses contingent on passing drug tests, replacing welfare with work, and giving parents the option of choosing the public school their children attended."

Will said du Pont's stand would have been enough to have his 1988 Presidential vote, had it not stalled in the New Hampshire primaries, despiting winning the endorsement of the New Hampshire Union Leader, in a race ultimately won by eventual-President George Bush.

"And if someone said to him 'Pete, a lot of your ideas are actually those of the Founding Fathers', he would have said 'Damn, right."

Will said that du Pont had the passion to try to change economic issues, and his career longevity showed how dedicated he was in making a difference.

"He was a cheerful malcontent. Because Pete was a cheerful malcontent, he was also a happy warrior. Serious people, grown-ups, do not go into the strenuous business of politics because they are content with the way things are."

du Pont was 86 when he died at his Wilmington home following a long illness.