In Photo: Barbara Bush
Her pearls sparked a national fashion trend when she wore them to her husband’s inauguration in 1989. The pearls became synonymous with her. Barbara Bush later said she selected them to hide the wrinkles in her neck. The candid admission only bolstered her common sense and down-to-earth public image. Credit/VoA
Former U.S First Lady, Barbara Bush, dies at 92
Barbara Bush, former U.S. first lady and mother of former U.S President George W. Bush, has died at 92. A family statement said she died Tuesday evening with her family beside her.
“My dear mother has passed on at age 92,” former President George W. Bush said in a statement. “Laura, Barbara, Jenna, and I are sad, but our souls are settled because we know hers was. Barbara Bush was a fabulous first lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love, and literacy to millions. To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end. I’m a lucky man that Barbara Bush was my mother. Our family will miss her dearly, and we thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.”
The Bush family gave few details on her health, but said the former first lady suffered in recent years from congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She declined to seek further medical treatment as her condition worsened in recent days.
In a statement from the White House, President Donald J. Trump and first lady Melania Trump praised Barbara Bush’s dedication to literacy.
“As a wife, mother, grandmother, military spouse, and former First Lady, Mrs. Bush was an advocate of the American family. Amongst her greatest achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection. She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well.”
Barbara Pierce Bush was born June 8, 1925, in Rye, New York. Her father was the publisher of McCall’s and Redbook magazines. Her mother, Pauline Pierce, was the daughter of an Ohio Supreme Court justice and was dedicated to conservation efforts as a chairwoman of the Garden Club of America.
Barbara Pierce married George Herbert Walker Bush on Jan. 6, 1945. They had six children and have been married longer than any presidential couple in U.S. history. George H.W. Bush was the country’s 41st president from 1989 to 1993.
Barbara Bush was one of only two first ladies in history who was also the mother of a president — George W. Bush, the country’s 43rd commander in chief. The other first lady was Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, the nation’s second president, and mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president.
As first lady, Barbara Bush made literacy her main focus and became involved in a number of reading organizations. She established the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy decades ago, promoting reading skills across America, particularly for young children.