America mourns Barbara Bush
WASHINGTON: Former president George H.W. Bush thanked fellow Americans for their “outpouring of love” following the loss of his wife of seven decades, Barbara, saying the tributes flowing in for the one-time first lady were “lifting us all up”.
Long seen as the pillar of one of America’s most prominent families, as wife to the 41st US president and mother to the 43rd, Barbara died on Tuesday at her home in Texas aged 92, surrounded by her family.
Her 93-year-old husband, who was at her side until the end, holding her hand, was said to be heart-broken at the loss of “his beloved Barbara”.
But on Wednesday the ex-commander-in-chief struck a resolutely stoical tone.
“I always knew Barbara as the
most beloved woman in the world,” he wrote in a statement.
“In fact I used to tease her that I had a complex about that fact.
“But the truth is the outpouring of love and friendship being directed at ‘The Enforcer’ is lifting us all up,” he said, using a fond nickname coined by the Bush clan for their matriarch.
“We know life will go on – as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list.”
Known for her trademark faux pearls and tart-tongued comments about life in and out of Washington, Barbara was in many ways a figure more popular among ordinary Americans than her high-flying husband and sons.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, including from the Obamas who voiced gratitude “to Mrs Bush for the generosity she showed to us throughout our time in the White House”.
Bill Clinton, who succeeded Bush’s husband in office, described her as “a remarkable woman” who brought together “grit and grace, brains and beauty”.
“She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like.” — AFP
We know life will go on – as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list. George H.W. Bush