WASHINGTON — Even in the final days of her life, Barbara Bush retained the sharp tongue that belied her grandmotherly image. When her eldest son, former President George W. Bush, visited about 10 days before her death, the two playfully needled each other in the way they always did.
At one point, Mrs. Bush turned to her doctor. “You want to know why George W. is the way he is?” she asked.
The doctor looked a little surprised. “Because I drank and smoked when I was pregnant with him,” she said.
The former president told that story about his mother on Wednesday as he paid tribute to Mrs. Bush, who died at 92 on Tuesday at her home in Houston. Mrs. Bush, who had congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, decided earlier this week to decline further medical treatment intended to prolong her life and instead spent her last days saying goodbye to her family.
Former President George Bush, her husband of 73 years and the father of the younger Mr. Bush, was by her side when she passed away. Three of their children, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy, had been with her in the last few days, while George W. Bush and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida had visited recently and stayed in constant touch by telephone, according to a family spokesman.
“I always knew Barbara was the most beloved woman in the world, and in fact I used to tease her that I had a complex about that fact,” her husband said in a statement released on Wednesday. “But the truth is the outpouring of love and friendship being directed at The Enforcer is lifting us all up.
“We have faith that she is in heaven,” he added, “and we know that life will go on — as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list.”
Among the luminaries planning to attend Mrs. Bush’s funeral in Houston on Saturday is Melania Trump, the current first lady, representing the White House. Also planning to attend are former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the former first lady Michelle Obama, according to their offices.
While the…
