George H.W. Bush: ‘Life Will Go On—As Barbara Would Have it, So Cross the Bushes Off Your Worry List’

Monica Sanchez | April 18, 2018
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Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush on Wednesday issued a statement on his wife of 73 years’ death, saying that he and his family “know life will go on—as [Barbara] would have it.”

“I always knew Barbara was the most beloved woman in the world, and 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 as The Enforcer is lifting us all up,” the statement reads.  

“We have faith she is in heaven, and we know life will go on—as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list,” he said.

Matriarch of the Bush dynasty, former First Lady Barbara Bush, passed away Tuesday at the age of 92.

She had recently decided not to seek further medical treatment after a series of hospitalizations for her declining health. She had been battling Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, and congestive heart failure. Her health issues reportedly began about two years ago.

George H.W. has been suffering from a condition similar to Parkinson's Disease that has forced him to use a wheelchair and caused speaking difficulties.

Mrs. Bush passed away at her home in Houston. George H.W. held Barbara’s hand “all day today and was at her side when she left this good earth,” a family spokesperson said.

The two were married for 73 years and had six children together.

Her son and former president George W. Bush shared a statement on Instagram that while he and his family are sad, “our souls are settled because we know hers was.”

He wrote, “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,” Bush continued. “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.”

Her death prompted an outpouring of support among politicians, public figures, and women's rights organizations admiring the former first lady for her grace, wit, and devotion to family and literacy.  

(Cover Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

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