Former President George H. W. Bush is “broken-hearted” after Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years, died Tuesday at the age of 92, according to his longtime chief of staff.
[Related: Barbara Bush: Her life in photos]
“He held her hand all day and was at her side when [she] left this good earth. Obviously, this is a very challenging time,” Jean Becker, who has assisted the Bushes post-presidency, said in a statement.
“But it will not surprise all of you who know and love him, that he also is being stoic and strong, and is being lifted up by his large supportive family. He is determined to be there for them as well,” she added.
Jean Becker, chief of staff at the Office of George H. W. Bush, gave this update on the 41st President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/pjOKi3szVc
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) April 18, 2018
The former first couple met at a dance when Barbara Bush was just 16. They married in 1945 when George H. W. Bush was on leave from his World War II deployment with the U.S. Navy.
In a March edition of Smith College’s alumnae magazine, Barbara Bush told her classmates she was “still old and still in love.”
She died Tuesday after a year-long battle against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.
The former first lady, who served from 1989 to 1993, is survived by her husband, their five children, 17 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
