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Marian Robinson, mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama and basketball executive Craig Robinson, passed away Friday at 86 years old. The Chicago-born woman worked as a secretary and executive assistant before moving to the White House with her daughter and son in-law. She built a reputation during Barack Obamas presidential campaign as being a rock to the family. Often described as being humble and family oriented, the former president once called her the least pretentious person I know.

She grew up one of seven children on the red-lined South Side of Chicago, the daughter of Purnell Shields and Rebecca Jumper, a statement from Barack and Michelle Obama, Kelly and Craig Robinson, and the couples children, read. She learned early that even in the face of hardship, there was music to be found.

Craig and Michelle grew up in the same Chicago neighborhood, raised by Marian and her husband Fraser, a Democratic municipal official who passed in 1991.

Every night, for years on end, she and Fraser would hold court at the dinner table, where they indulged all manner of questioning, teaching their children to believe in the power and worth of their own voices, the statement read.

The two children were pushed to great heights by their mother, both attending Princeton University for their undergraduate degrees, with Michelle attending Harvard Law School.

When Craig decided to leave a lucrative finance job to pursue his dream of coaching basketball, she was there with her wholehearted support, the family said. Craig is currently the Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, a body representing college men's basketball coaches.

When Michelle married a guy crazy enough to go into politics, she was just as encouraging, the statement said. 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.

Robinson, who spent her 8-year stint in the White House taking care of First Daughters Sasha and Malia, rarely taking a public spotlight, moved back to Chicago in 2017, where she reconnected with old friends

Robinson watched earlier this month when the Obamas announced that an exhibit documenting the White House in the Obama Presidential Center Museum would be dedicated to her in a Mothers Day video.

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, the family wrote.

Read the full tribute here.

View original post here:
Obamas pen touching tribute to Marian Robinson, Michelle's mother - Salon

Robinson got married in 1960 and had two children, including the former first lady.

Marian Robinson, mother of former US first lady Michelle Obama, who provided support and stability, especially during the eight years of Barack Obama's presidency, died on Friday, the Obama and Robinson families said. She was 86.

Fondly called the "first grandma," Robinson played a pivotal role in helping care for her granddaughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, during their early years at the White House.

"With a healthy nudge, she agreed to move to the White House with Michelle and Barack. We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all," the family statement read, adding she died "peacefully" on Friday morning.

Born in 1937 on Chicago's South Side, Robinson was one of seven children. Her parents separated during her teenage years and she witnessed the extreme highs and lows of race relations in the United States.

Her father was not allowed to join a union or work for larger construction firms due to the color of his skin and hence "grew mistrustful of a world that seemed to have little place for him," the family said its statement. Yet, her daughter and son-in-law made it to the White House when Barack Obama became the first Black U.S. president.

The glamour of the White House was never a great fit for Robinson, according to the family.

Rather than hobnobbing with Oscar winners or Nobel laureates, she preferred spending her time upstairs with a TV tray, in the room outside her bedroom with big windows that looked out at the Washington Monument, the family statement said. It added that she made great friends "with the ushers and butlers, the folks who make the White House a home."

Robinson got married in 1960 and had two children, including the former first lady. She also worked as a teacher and a secretary, the family said.

During her eight years at the White House, the family said she would often sneak outside the gates to buy greeting cards at nearby stores and sometimes other customers would recognize her saying she resembled the first lady's mother.

"Oh, I get that a lot," she would smile and reply.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Excerpt from:
Michelle Obama's Mother Marian Robinson Dies At 86 - NDTV

Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty

Prayers are in order as our Forever First Lady, Michelle Obama, mother, Marian Robinson, has passed away Friday, May 31, 2024 at the age of 86.

According to a family statement:

She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly well move on without her,

Marian Robinson mother of two children, Craig Robinson and Michelle Obama, was a lifelong Chicago resident left her hometown with a healthy nudge when her daughter moved into the White House with former President Barack Obama after he won the 2008 election.

Michelle Obama took to X to share the passing of her mother:

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.

In a joint statement, Michelle and Barack said had this to say about Marian Robinson:

had a way of summing up the truths about life in a word or two, maybe a quick phrase that made everyone around her stop and think and that 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.

Lets keep Michelle, Craig, Barack, Kelly, Avery, Leslie, Malia, Sasha, Austin, and Aaron uplifted in our prayers.

Source: Radio One Digital

Link:
Prayers: First Lady Michelle Obama's Mother Has Passed At 86 - 93.1 WZAK

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Original post:
Marian Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama, dies at 86 - Chronicle-Tribune

Michelle Obama has announced that her mother, Marian Robinson, died yesterday at the age of 86.

The former First Lady shared the news in an Instagram post. "My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed," she wrote. "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."

Alongside this touching caption, Obama posted a series of screenshots of a joint statement from her husband, former President Barack Obama, Craig Robinson (Michelle's brother), his wife Kelly, and all of their children.

"Marian Lois Shields Robinsonour mother, mother-in-law, and grandmotherhad a way of summing up the truths about life in a word or two, maybe a quick phrase that made everyone around her stop and think," read the statement. "Her wisdom came off as almost innate, as something she was born with, but in reality it was hard-earned, fashioned by her deep understanding that the worlds roughest edges could always be sanded down with a little grace."

Getty

This was followed by a brief history of Marian's life. Born in Chicago one of seven children, she supported herself from a young age as a nursing aid. She later trained as a teacher and eventually worked as a secretary. She married Fraser Robinson"another South-Sider with a boxers strength and jazz-lovers cool"in 1960 and the pair had two children, Craig and Michelle.

"On summer nights, shed pack the family into the car with a steaming plate of chicken for a trip to the drive-in movies," the statement continued fondly. "On New Years Eve, shed pass around pigs in a blanket and raise a toast to Auld Lang Syne. And every night, for years on end, she and Fraser would hold court at the dinner table, where they indulged all manner of questioning, teaching their children to believe in the power and worth of their own voices."

Getty

Their statement continued on, explaining how Marian had remained a vital member of the family throughout Barack and Michelle's political careers. "On Election Night in 2008, when the news broke that Barack would soon shoulder the weight of the world, she was there, holding his hand," they wrote.

The statement concluded, "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."

Here is the original post:
Michelle Obama Announces Her Mother's Death in a Touching Tribute - InStyle