UPDATE: Nancy Reagan's Family Gather for Private Memorial in Santa Monica Before Motorcade to Simi Valley

SANTA MONICA, CA - Relatives of former first lady Nancy Reagan gathered for a private memorial in Santa Monica Wednesday before her casket was placed in a hearse and driven in a solemn motorcade to her husband's presidential library, where she will be laid to rest Friday.

Reagan, who died in her sleep Sunday at her Bel Air home at age 94, will be buried within inches of her husband, an eternal continuation of her decades-long love affair with the nation's 40th president and former governor of California.

The former first lady helped plan many of the details of her memorial and funeral service, from the pallbearers to the guest list to the exact location of her burial at her husband's side.

Relatives gathered at the Gates, Kingsley & Gates Moeller Murphy funeral home in Santa Monica around 9 a.m. for a private gathering. Shortly before 10 a.m., Nancy Reagan's casket was placed in a large black hearse to begin her final voyage to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley.

Her casket was attended by eight pallbearers -- all U.S. Secret Service agents who worked for her or her husband over the years. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Kinnersley was assigned to President Ronald Reagan after he left office, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. The seven others all served Nancy Reagan: Supervisory Special Officer Christopher Cousino and special agents Thomas Feuerborn, Tim Yoshitake, Cory Chhiap, Steven Kulpaca, Nathan Judd and Melanie Lentz.

As the motorcade made its way north on the San Diego (405) Freeway, onlookers could be seen on overpasses to watch the procession below. Los Angeles Fire Department displayed large American flags at a pair of locations along the route. When the motorcade fittingly transitioned to the westbound Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway, about a dozen LAFD firefighters stood at attention along the shoulder of the roadway and saluted as the hearse passed.

Nancy Reagan will lie in repose at the Reagan Library from 1 to 7 p.m. and again from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, giving members of the public a chance to view her casket and bid farewell.

People hoping to view the casket will not be able to drive to the museum but will have to park at the former Bank of America property at 400 National Way in Simi Valley and take a shuttle.

Ronald Reagan Foundation officials noted that security will be tight and advised people not to bring large bags, cameras or strollers. Gifts and flowers will only be accepted at the bottom of Presidential Drive and at the shuttle pickup location.

According to the foundation, Nancy Reagan requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Ronald Reagan Memorial Fund at www.reaganlibrary.com.

The Reagan library will remain closed to the general public until 10 a.m. Sunday.

There's no estimate of how many people will attend during the two-day visitation, but the museum is bracing for large crowds since Nancy Reagan's funeral service at 11 a.m. Friday will be closed to the public.

A trio of former first ladies, including Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, are among those expected to attend Friday's funeral service, along with current first lady Michelle Obama, although President Barack Obama is not expected to be there.

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, are also expected to attend, along with former first lady Rosalynn Carter, according to officials at the Reagan Library. Tricia Nixon Cox, a daughter of President Richard Nixon, is also expected.

Other guests expected to attend, according to the Reagan Foundation are Capt. Christopher Bolt, the commander of the USS Ronald Reagan; Katie Couric; Sam Donaldson; Chris Matthews; Newt and Callista Gingrich; Wayne Newton; Anjelica Huston; Melissa Rivers; Tina Sinatra; and Mr. T, the burly actor who took an active role in Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign in the 1980s.

The Rev. Stuart A. Kenworthy, vicar of Washington National Cathedral, officiated today's private family service in Santa Monica, assisted by the Rev. Donn Moomaw, the Reagan's family minister. Kenworthy will also lead Friday's funeral service.

U.S. flags on public buildings across the country -- and at the Reagan Library -- were lowered to half-staff in her memory Monday, following a directive from President Barack Obama.

A fierce protector of her husband's presidential legacy, the woman behind the "Just Say No" campaign and the first lady known for tasteful glamour at the White House, Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure while asleep at the Bel Air home where she had lived since 1989.

The Reagans were married in March 1952 and purchased a home in Pacific Palisades, where they lived until a move to Sacramento in 1966. They had two children together, Patti and Ron Jr., and she also helped raise Ronald Reagan's two children with his first wife, Jane Wyman.

Ronald and Nancy Reagan were both actors, but "Hellcats Of the Navy" in 1957 was the only movie in which they appeared together, although she continued to act in TV and minor movie roles.

Her biggest roles, however, were not on the screen, but as Ronald Reagan's adviser, counselor and protector when he was in public life, and later, as his chief caregiver after he became stricken by Alzheimer's disease. Reagan died in June 2004.

Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, said in a statement on her website that her mother "had been in poor health for quite a while, and recently had gotten markedly worse, so this wasn't a surprise."

"That said, death always feels like a surprise," she said. "I appreciate the attention and prayers of people I will probably never meet. Just as when my father died, there is comfort in feeling surrounded by gentle thoughts and kind wishes, often sent out by strangers.

"And just as when my father died, we will honor my mother publicly -- stand on the public stage and share as much as we can. Then, when that is completed, we'll draw the circle in a little tighter and deal with the often complicated map of personal loss."

--City News Service, photo courtesy of the White House