Former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush, the only woman to see her husband and son sworn in as U.S. president, passed away on Tuesday, April 17, at the age of 92, the Bush family said.
Family spokesman Jim McGrath released a statement from the office of George H. W. Bush on Tuesday announcing the 92-year-old’s passing.
“A former First lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy Barbara Pierce Bush passed away,” the statement said.
Two days prior, McGrath released another statement about the former first lady which said she had made the decision, after consulting with her family and friends, to not seek additional medical treatment and instead planned to focus on comfort care.
“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,” the April 15 statement said.
“She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving,” the statement added.
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy was established during Barbara’s White House years. The foundation aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged Americans by boosting literacy among parents and their children.
“In the last nearly 30 years… she’s been the first lady of literacy and she’ll always be known and revered as the first lady of literacy,” Julie Finck, president of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, told The Associated Press.
Her husband, George H.W. Bush, was the country’s 41st president. He’s now 93 years old, is struggling with a Parkinson’s-like disease, and is confined to a wheelchair.
Barbara’s son, former President George W. Bush served from 2001 until 2009.
Friends Read Free