Marian Robinson, former United States First Lady, Michelle Obama’s mother died on Friday at the age of 86.
In a post on X, Michelle Obama said that her mother was the same steady backstop for their entire family.
The family in a statement said 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 world’s roughest edges could always be sanded down with a little grace.
Born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Marian Lois Shields would go on to study teaching before getting a job as a secretary. She married Fraiser Robinson in 1960 and the couple had two children, a son Craig in 1962 and a daughter Michelle in 1964.
Michelle Obama and Robinson talked about their strong bond growing up during an interview on “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts in 2022.
According to the family, Robinson was very encouraging to her daughter when she “married a guy crazy enough to go into politics.”
“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.
“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,” the family said.