Former first lady Barbara Bush died Tuesday at the age of 92, ABC News reported.
“A former first lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy, Barbara Pierce Bush passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at the age of 92,” reads a statement from the office of former President George H.W. Bush.
Mrs. Bush served as the country’s first lady from 1989 to 1993. According to Jean Becker, chief of staff at the former president’s office, Mr. Bush is “broken-hearted to lose his beloved Barbara, his wife of 73 years.” Becker added that the former president “held her hand all day today and was at her side when she left this good earth.”
Mr. Bush is facing a challenging and difficult time, Becker said, but “is being stoic and strong.”
Mrs. Bush died shortly after refusing further medical treatment for her failing health. Her funeral will be held at St. Martin’s Church in Houston, where she was a long-time member.
“It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself — thanks to her abiding faith — but for others,” an earlier statement released by Mr. Bush’s office said. “She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving.”
Mrs. Bush is the only other lady, apart from Abigail Adams, who has had both a husband and a son elected president. She is also the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida who ran for president of the United States in 2016.
The former first lady is well-known as a champion for global literacy who continued the work even after she and her husband left the White House. In 1989, she formed the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, which encourages parents to read to their children.
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