Marian Robinson, mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, dies at 86

CHICAGO - Marian Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama and mother-in-law of former President Barack Obama, has died, the former first family announced Friday.

“My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed,” said Obama in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today.”

Robinson, who raised her daughter in the Chicago South Side neighborhoods that would become her son-in-law’s political homebase, was 86.

The Obamas paid tribute to Robinson’s character in a post on the former president’s Medium account.

“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,” it reads.

The tribute, signed by the Obamas, their daughters and other family members, details her life’s journey from the heavily segregated South Side of Chicago to the White House.

She grew up one of seven children, born to Purnell Shields and Rebecca Jumper. Robinson studied to be a teacher before meeting the former First Lady’s father, Fraser Robinson, and together they raised the former First Lady and her brother, Craig. Eventually she became a constant presence in the Obamas’ life and became part of the First Family.

“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,” the Obamas said.

When her daughter married “a guy crazy enough to go into politics,” she supported their aspirations. When her son-in-law became the first Black man to become president in 2008, she held his hand on election night.

At the White House, she helped with the Obama children, Malia and Sasha, and doted on her “grandbabies.”

She was never one for the glamor of Washington, though she did make a point of asking to meet the Pope while she had the chance, the family said.

After the White House, she returned to Chicago, according to the tribute.

She enjoyed trips to drive-in movies with family, passing around pigs in a blanket and raising a toast on New Year’s Eve. The Obamas said she instilled confidence and self-worth in her children over discussions at dinner.

Her goal of making sure her kids had a strong voice carried over to her grandchildren.

“From infancy through adulthood, she stood secondary watch over her grandchildren’s growth and development,” the Obamas wrote, “inspiring them, listening to them, telling them she was proud of them, making them feel loved, like they were remarkable in every way.”

In addition to the Obamas, the tribute letter was signed by Craig Robinson, his wife Kelly and their children.

“We are comforted by the understanding that she has returned to the embrace of her loving Fraser,” the family said of her husband who died in 1991, “that she’s pulled up her TV tray next to his recliner, that they’re clinking their highball glasses as she’s catching him up with the stories about this wild, beautiful ride. She’s missed him so.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former first lady Michelle Obama's mother dies at 86