Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama’s mother, dies at 86

The mother of Michelle Obama, Marian Robinson, has died at the age of 86.

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“My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed. She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today. We wanted to offer some reflections on her remarkable life,” Michelle Obama said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“There was and will be only one Marian Robinson. In our sadness, we are lifted up by the extraordinary gift of her life. And we will spend the rest of ours trying to live up to her example,” Barack Obama said in a statement on X.

“As a sister, aunt, cousin, neighbor, and friend to so many, she was beloved beyond words by countless others whose lives were improved by her presence,” the statement from Barack and Michelle Obama, Craig and Kelly Robinson, and their children said, according to CNN.

“She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we’ll move on without her,” the statement said.

Robinson moved into the White House when Barack Obama was elected president and her daughter became the first lady, The Associated Press reported.

She was a widow and had lived in Chicago for most of her life before going to the White House to help with her granddaughters, the AP reported. It took some work to get her to move though. Michelle Obama got her brother, Craig, involved.

Robinson never left the United States until she moved to the White House. According to the AP, her first flight was on Air Force One in 2009 to France. After that, she went to Russia, Italy and Ghana. Later on, she went to South Africa, Botswana and China.

She attended many White House events including the annual Egg Roll, National Christmas Tree lighting and occasionally some state dinners, the AP reported.

Robinson was one of seven children. She was born on July 30, 1937, and got married in 1960 reported. She became a stay-at-home parent and made sure her children knew the importance of an education, the AP reported. Robinson’s husband, Fraser Robinson died in 1991. He was a pump operation at the Chicago Water Department and he had multiple sclerosis.

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