Barack Obama’s Grandmother Dies
 |
James Joyner | Monday, November 3, 2008 |
- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. wipes a tear as he talks about his grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, at a rally in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. Obama
Madelyn Payne Dunham, Barack Obama’s maternal grandmother, died Sunday, the campaign announced earlier this evening. She was 86.
Obama announced the news from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C. The joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng said Dunham died late Sunday night at her Honolulu apartment after a battle with cancer.
“She’s gone home,” Obama said as tens of thousands of rowdy supporters at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte grew silent in an evening drizzle. “And she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side. And so there is great joy as well as tears. I’m not going to talk about it too long because it is hard for me to talk about.”
Sad news, if not unexpected.
Republican John McCain issued condolences. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as they remember and celebrate the life of someone who had such a profound impact in their lives,” the statement by John and Cindy McCain said.
That’s really all one can say at a time like this. Obviously, it would have meant a lot to her and to her grandson to see him elected president. All indications are that she would have had she been able to hold out a couple more days.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- Barack Obama’s Grandmother Dies
- Obama to Visit Dying Grandmother
- McCain Suspends Campaign to ‘Work on the Economy’
- Obama-McCain Debates
- Gregory McDonald, R.I.P.
- Hillary Clinton Quitting Tonight (Or IS She?)
- Yves Saint Laurent Dies at 71
- McCain ‘Biden’ Ad
- Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama’s Cohones
- Tim Russert Dies of Heart Attack
- Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?
- OTB Caption JamTM
- Taking “No” As Iran’s Answer
- Update on the Fort Hood Massacre
- OTB Latenight – Soft Cell
- Caption Contest Winners
- Breaking: Shootings at Fort Hood (Updated)
- Pentagon Expected To Ask For Supplementary War Funding. As Usual.
- Marking the Anniversary of the Embassy Seizure
- Caption Contest
Very sad as always when you lose a grandma,many prayers to him and his family.
Above all else Obama is a man like any other so it's sad to see him lose his grandmother.
