The family of Marian Shields Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, has announced that she passed away on Friday 31 May 2024 at the age of 86.
According to the family, she helped take care of her young granddaughters and was a calming presence in one of the most stressful residences on earth, the White House.
Michelle Obama had announced Robinson’s passing on the internet, providing information on her time as the Obama children’s informal first grandmother while she lived in the White House.
Barack Obama, the former president of the United States praised the “extraordinary gift of her life” in a statement following her passing.
Robinson avoided the limelight, although she was there for some of the most publicised occasions involving the Obama family.
She frequently attended events and holidays with the first couple and their two children, Sasha and Malia.
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: https://t.co/F7T6q625PC
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 31, 2024
She is well known for being photographed holding her son-in-law, Obama’s hand on election night in 2008 as the two relaxed on a couch and watched the results roll in. Obama became the first Black president of the United States.
“At every step, as our families went down paths none of us could have predicted, she remained our refuge from the storm, keeping our feet on solid ground,” concluded the statement.
Marian was raised in a modest home with seven siblings after being born on Chicago’s South Side in 1937.
In 1960, she tied the knot with Fraser Robinson III, a pump operator for the water department of Chicago.
In 1962, they gave birth to Craig, and two years later, Mitchelle.
Robinson was a bank employee and a secretary before she decided to become a stay-at-home mum.
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