Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush died at home on Apr. 17 at the age of 92. She has a special place in US history as the only first lady to attend the presidential inaugurations of both her husband and son. The U.S. White House is flying its flag at half-mast.
The office of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush has announced the death of former First Lady Barbara Bush. According to a tweet from their spokesperson, "He is of course broken-hearted to lose his beloved Barbara, his wife of 73 years. He held her hand all day and was at her side when [she] left this good earth...It will not surprise all of you who know him and love him, that he is also being stoic and strong." The Bushes celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January and had the longest marriage in U.S. presidential history. Barbara Bush was the only person in U.S. history to witness both her husband and son being sworn in as president.
[It's] really impossible to describe how it feels to have one of your children become president of the United States. I had trouble.
I had trouble when I was married to the president. And now to see that same fellow that I used to drive around in Little League carpools and I used to yell at to please pick up his room, to see him as president, it's truly amazing.
Bush was an avid reader and supported literacy and reading campaigns. She was direct and humorous. Known for wearing a fake pearl necklace, her simple style never changed through the years. She underwent aortic valve replacement surgery in 2009 and suffered from Graves' disease for many years. Before her death, she was hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure. On Apr. 15, the Bush family announced that she had decided not to seek further treatment and would be receiving palliative care at home. She died on the 17th at the age of 92.