Former First Lady Barbara Bush died on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. No official cause of death has been announced, but Barbara had been treated previously for a thyroid condition known as Graves’ disease and her health had been failing. Earlier this week, she decided to refuse further medical treatment after a series of hospital visits and instead chose to spend her last days in “comfort care” with her family. She was 92 years old.

Barbara Bush was the only First Lady besides Abigail Adams to be both the wife and the mother of a U.S. president. Unlike Adams, who died before John Quincy Adams’ inauguration, Barbara saw both her son and her husband fulfill their terms as President of the United States. Her husband, George H.W. Bush was the 41^st president, and her son, George W. Bush, was the 43rd president. George W. Bush said that “My dear mother has passed on at the age of 92. Laura, Barbara, Jenna and I are sad, but our souls are settled because we know hers was. Barbara Bush was a fabulous First Lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love and literacy to millions. To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end.”

George W. Bush’s statement refers to both Barbara Bush’s tendency to bring humor to situations as well as her well-known campaign to improve adult and childhood literacy. Like many First Ladies, Barbara chose a cause to champion while her husband was in office. When asked why she chose to focus on literacy, Barbara said, “I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society.” To that end, Barbara founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in order to help parents and children from disadvantaged communities learn how to read and write.

Tributes and condolences for the Bush family’s loss have come from across the political spectrum. Barack and Michelle Obama lauded Barbara for “the way she lived her life– as a testament to the fact that public service is an important and noble calling; as an example of the humanity and decency that reflects the very best of the American spirit.”

Donald and Melania Trump described Barbara as “an advocate of the American family…She will be remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served well.”

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner promised that “the City of Houston and the Houston Public Library Foundation will work to complete the master planned improvements to the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza” in “loving memory” of Barbara.

NFL player JJ Watt said that Barbara was “a beautiful light in this world” and that he was “forever thankful for [her] friendship.” Similarly, the Texas Rangers stated that Barbara Bush would “forever be in our hearts.”

The King Center offered their thoughts and prayers to the Bush family and tweeted that they hoped the “family [would] be comforted by sweet memories and encouraged by the love that former First Lady #BarbaraBush deposited.”

No doubt the tributes will continue as the nation remembers the “Silver Fox” with her grace, humor and ever-present pearls.