The mother of Michelle Obama has passed away.
When Michelle Obama and her family moved into the White House in 2009, Marian Robinson was right there with them: the grandmother of the First Lady, not only caring for her granddaughters, but also supporting the most powerful man in the world. Sadly, she has now passed away at the age of 86.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama announced her mother's death on X, but has kept the details of the circumstances to herself.
"My mom Marian Robinson was my rock in the storm and always there for me, no matter what I needed. She was a steady anchor for our entire family, and we're heartbroken that she’s gone today," Michelle Obama wrote. Marian Robinson joined her daughter and her husband Barack in the White House back in 2009 after the inauguration of America's first black president.
Marian Lois Shields Robinson was born in 1937 in Chicago and was one of seven siblings. The family's touching obituary describes her as a loving and resilient mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law who gained her wisdom through years of hard work. One of her sayings was, "Parents don't raise babies. They raise small people."
Her affection didn't stop at her immediate family though; she was also a crucial support system for the President at the time. According to the tribute, when it became evident on the night of Barack Obama's election in 2008 that he would soon be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, Marian was there to hold his hand.
During the campaign and after they settled into the White House, Marian made sure to take care of her granddaughters, Sasha and Malia, who were seven and ten at the time. She stepped in to help with household tasks, along with the staff, while taking care of the two girls with incredible dedication. "We needed her. The girls needed her," the obituary reads. Today, the family is left to grapple with the loss of their beloved matriarch. "And right now, none of us knows exactly how we'll move on without her."
