Michelle Obama's mother Marian Robinson has passed away

Marian Robinson, the mother of Michelle Obama, wife of former US President Barack Obama, has passed away at the age of 86.

In a statement released by her family regarding the passing of the mother of the first Black US First Lady, it was noted that Robinson had agreed to move into the White House with the family during Obama's presidency, stating, "We needed her. The girls needed her."

WHO IS MARIAN ROBINSON?

Marian Lois Robinson was born on July 29, 1937, and passed away on May 31, 2024. Robinson, the mother-in-law of former US President Barack Obama, was the mother of Michelle Obama and basketball executive Craig Robinson.

Born in Chicago in 1937, Marian Shields was the fourth of seven children of Purnell Nathaniel Shields, a house painter and carpenter, and Rebecca Jumper, a licensed practical nurse. Her family had separated over time, and both of her parents had multi-racial origins.

Her maternal grandfather, Dolphus T. Shields, was a descendant of slavery who migrated from rural Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama, where he established a carpentry and tool-sharpening business. Her family eventually moved to Chicago during the Great Migration.

Marian Shields married Fraser Robinson III in Chicago on October 27, 1960. The couple had two children, Craig Malcolm and Michelle LaVaughn, the latter named after Fraser's mother. Fraser Robinson passed away from multiple sclerosis in 1991.

Throughout her life, Robinson worked as a secretary at Spiegel, the University of Chicago, and a bank. In the late 1960s, she lived with her family on the South Side of Chicago in a rented apartment on the second floor of a brick bungalow owned by her Aunt Robbie and her husband Terry. She raised her two children there and continued to live in that home until she moved into the White House with the Obama family.

In her book "Becoming," Michelle Obama describes her mother's strong attachment to her home in Chicago and her determination to raise her children as a stay-at-home mother. When her daughter Michelle started high school, Robinson continued to work as an executive assistant at a bank.

Michelle Obama has described her mother as an outspoken and honest person, frequently emphasizing her relentless support and the quiet encouragement she provided throughout her childhood.

Shields would take Michelle to the library before she started school and sit beside her while she learned to read and write. A mother who generally expected her children to resolve their own disputes, Shields would intervene immediately when needed.

When Michelle felt undervalued in elementary school, her mother Shields advocated for her, ensuring she obtained better learning opportunities at school.

When Michelle and Barack Obama were campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Robinson provided great support to her granddaughters, Malia and Sasha Obama.

Robinson lived in the White House with the First Family during Barack Obama's presidency and continued to support her family.

Marian Lois Robinson passed away in Chicago on May 31, 2024, at the age of 86.