(KGTV) — Former first lady Barbara Pierce Bush has passed away in Texas. She was 92.
Her passing was confirmed in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon by the Office of George H. Bush post-White House spokesman, Jim McGrath.
It was reported on April 15 that after a "recent series of hospitalizations" Bush would not seek additional medical care. She had been suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, and congestive heart failure.
RELATED: Social media reacts to Barbara Bush's passing
Instead, she had chosen to seek comfort care. Since she has been surrounded by family members at her Houston home.
As "everybody's grandmother" as she would say, Bush was regarded by many as warm, well-mannered, and quick with wit.
Bush was born in 1925 in Rye, New York. She went on to attend boarding school in South Carolina, where she met her husband, George H.W., while she was 16 years old. The two became engaged a year and a half later, just before he went off to war as a Navy torpedo bomber pilot. The Bushes married on Jan. 6, 1945.
As her husband mounted a career in oil and eventually politics, Bush was a linchpin, managing 29 moves of her family.
Her sixth child, Robin, died from leukemia before she was four years old. Bush said "because of Robin, George and I love every living human more," according to the White House archives.
Bush was a fierce advocate in her husband's corner during his political career.
Before serving as first lady, she served as second lady from 1981 to 1989. During that time Bush was a proponent of literacy, calling it the "most important issue we have." She established the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, which works to promote preschool and parental literacy.
She was also an advocate for volunteerism, helping causes related to the homeless, AIDS, the elderly, and schools, according to the White House.
Bush was the only living wife of one former President and the mother of another former President. She and her husband had been married for 73 years.
Bush is survived by her husband; five children George W., Neil, Marvin, Jeb, and Dorothy; 17 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and her brother, Scott Pierce.
Shortly after Bush's passing, her son George W. issued a statement saying, "I’m a lucky man that Barbara Bush was my mother. Our family will miss her dearly, and we thank you all for your prayers and good wishes."
Bush's funeral will be held at St. Martin's Chuch in Houston, according to ABC News. The public will be allowed to pay their respects until midnight Friday. A private service is planned for Saturday.
Stay with 10News for updates on this developing story.
