Former First Lady Barbara Bush has passed away at the age of 92 at the family's Houston home on April 17. But the wife of former president George H. W. Bush (1989 to 1993) and the mother of ex-president George W. Bush (2001 to 2009) declared five years ago that she was not afraid to die because "there is a great God" waiting for her.
Speaking with C-SPAN in 2013, Barbara said that she and George were always a prayerful couple and that their faith grew stronger in old age.
"I have no fear of death, which is a huge comfort because we're getting darn close," the First Lady said. "I don't have a fear of death for my precious George, or for myself, because I know that there is a great God, and I'm not worried."
The mother of six children, Barbara once said her greatest accomplishment and lasting legacy was being a mom and wife. Married to George since 1945, Barbara faced the worst challenge as a parent when she had to decide on the fate of their second child, Robin, who died at age 3 due to leukemia. Barbara didn't let death scare her even then.
Her oldest child was just seven when Robin passed away. Barbara realized that she needed to come to grips with her grief after hearing George Jr. tell a friend that he can't play with them because he had to be with his mom, who was lonely.
"That started my cure," the First Lady wrote in her memoir. "I realized I was too much of a burden for a little 7-year-old boy to carry."
As Barbara passed on, political parties came together to honor the matriarch of the Bush political family.
Former President Bill Clinton remarked that Barbara "had grit & grace, brains & beauty," while Former President Jimmy Carter expressed that she touched millions of lives and dedicated her life to service.
Former President Barack Obama also noted her life of service and said that the former First Lady showed them generosity when they came to the White House. President Donald Trump added that Barbara was "an advocate for the American family."
