Former First Lady Michelle Obama said her mother was her support: “I wouldn’t be who I am today without her.”
Marian Lois Shields Robinson
WASHINGTON — Marian Lois Shields Robinson, 86, the mother of Michelle Obama, passed away on Friday, her family announced. She raised Michelle in a small apartment on Chicago’s South Side and later moved to the White House when Barack Obama became president.
“My mom, Marian Robinson, was always there for me and our family. Today, we are heartbroken to share that she has passed away,” Michelle Obama posted on X.
The former first lady often said that her parents, especially her mother and her late father Fraser, taught her values and discipline while she was growing up at 7436 S. Euclid Ave.
Fraser Robinson worked at the City of Chicago Water Filtration Plant near Navy Pier and was a Democratic precinct captain. He passed away in 1991.
She passed away on Friday. The family announced her death but did not share the cause or details about the funeral.
On Mother’s Day this year, Michelle Obama wrote, “My mom has always been my support, and I’m very thankful for all the ways she still helps my family. She’s taught me a lot over the years, and I’m lucky that I can share that same wisdom with my own daughters.”
A part of the Obama Presidential Center Museum, currently being built in Jackson Park, will be named after Marian Robinson.
When Michelle Obama announced that the “Opening the White House” exhibit would be named after her mother, she said, “Life with my mom was always an adventure.”
“It meant going to the library as a toddler to learn the alphabet, and the whole family driving to the local drive-in with homemade chicken. It also included Mom inviting family over for New Year’s Eve and raising a toast at midnight.”
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Most importantly, my mom always loved me no matter what. She helped me feel good about myself and taught me to believe in myself. She showed me how to think on my own, speak up for myself, and know my own value.
“I wouldn’t be who I am now without her.”
When Barack Obama became president in January 2009, Mrs. Robinson came to live in the White House to help take care of his daughters Sasha and Malia, who were young at the time.
When she was in Washington, she would sometimes leave the White House to go shopping or hang out with friends. Nobody would realize who she was, which made her daughter, who missed going to Target, a bit jealous.
It was hard to convince Mrs. Robinson to move in.
In her book “The Light We Carry,” the ex-first lady explained how she pleaded with her mom to leave the South Side. She even got her brother involved to convince her. Her mom was the backbone of their family, always there to support them, especially with childcare since their daughters were little.
Mrs. Robinson was born on July 29, 1937, in Chicago. She grew up in a part of the city where Black and White people lived separately. She had six siblings. When she was a teenager, her parents split up.
Her mom, Rebecca Jumper, worked as a nursing aide. Her dad, Purnell Shields, who loved jazz and was called “Southside,” couldn’t join a union or get a construction job because he was Black. He used to wake the family up by playing jazz records loudly. They said he taught them that even when life is tough, there’s always music to lift your spirits.
Mrs. Robinson started out wanting to be a teacher, but ended up becoming a secretary. She lived in a small apartment and taught her kids to read when they were very young. Thanks to her teaching, both of her children went on to attend Princeton University.
During her time at the White House, Mrs. Robinson lived on the third floor. When her daughter needed comfort on tough days, she would just go up one flight of stairs to be with her mom.
Barack Obama has shared how on Election Night in 2008, he sat beside his mother-in-law in Chicago. They watched the TV as the results came in. When it showed he was going to become President, he reached out and held her hand.
Barack Obama remembered growing up in Chicago, where things were very divided. He said there were always obstacles in his path.
Obama became the first Black president, and Mrs. Robinson’s daughter was going to be the first lady. Looking at it from her perspective made it even more meaningful.
President Biden and his wife Jill sent their sympathies.
President Joe Biden and his wife Jill met Mrs. Robinson when Biden became Vice President under Barack Obama.
The first couple said on Saturday, “Mrs. Marian Robinson was a loving mother and grandmother who deeply cared for her family. We felt that love ourselves through her warm smiles and hugs.”
“When her family needed her most, she went to live in the White House to be there for them. By doing that, she helped her country, just like her family did. Her life shows that we’re a great country because we’re good-hearted people.”
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