Former First Lady Barbara Bush, who was only the second women in history to be both the wife and mother of a U.S. president, died on Tuesday (April 17th), two days after a family spokesman said she'd decided to end any further treatment for her health problems, which included congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and would have "comfort care" at her Houston home. She was 92. George H.W. Bush held the hand of his wife of 73 years all day yesterday and was at her side when she died, according to his office chief of staff, Jean Becker, who also described the former president as "broken-hearted." Former President George W. Bush said in a statement, "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."
Bush married naval aviator George Herbert Walker Bush when she was 19 after two years at Smith College, and they moved to Texas after World War Two, where they got into the oil businesses and had six children. One of them, daughter Robin, died of leukemia at age 3. George H.W. Bush began his political career by representing Houston for two terms in Congress, before later becoming CIA director, vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan, and then president. In her 1994 memoir, Barbara Bush wrote about being first lady: "I had the best job in America. Every single day was interesting, rewarding, and sometimes just plain fun." She also said she did her best to keep her political opinions from the public when her husband was in office and didn't try to influence his politics, writing, "I honestly felt, and still feel, the elected person’s opinion is the one the public has the right to know." However, she revealed she disagreed with her husband on two issues -- she supported abortion rights and was against the sale of assault weapons.
George W. Bush's statement about his mom:
Statement from President Trump, and former presidents: