Madelyn Dunham -Obama's Grandma, Dies

CNN has the same blurb.

Very sad.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE4A26HV20081103

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's grandmother died of cancer, he said in a statement on Monday, a little more than a week after Obama interrupted the White House race to say goodbye to her in Hawaii.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer," Obama said in a joint statement with his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng. "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility."

Dunham helped raise Obama from the age of 10 while his mother was working in Indonesia, and Obama took an emotional 22-hour trip to Hawaii to visit her on October 23 and 24.

(Reporting by John Whitesides; editing by David Alexander)

www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-obama-grandmother-madelyn-dunham,0,2249369.story

chicagotribune.com
BARACK OBAMA
Barack Obama's grandmother Madelyn Dunham dies
Grandmother inspired Obama
By John McCormick

Tribune reporter

3:57 PM CST, November 3, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Sen. Barack Obama's grandmother has died, his campaign said this afternoon.

Linda Douglass, a senior aide, said Obama learned of her death about 8 a.m. Eastern time today. She said Madelyn Dunham, 87, a woman who helped raise Obama, passed between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Eastern time.

Obama's grandmother, who had been gravely ill, was a rock of stability, giving him the American roots that would ground his teenage years as well as his career in politics.

He suspended his campaign for part of two days recently to return to Honolulu to be at her bedside. She was in hospice care in her apartment.

Obama and his campaign had hoped that she would live long enough to see the outcome of the election, a race she had closely followed by television.

The Illinois senator's campaign issued a statement under his name and that of his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng:

"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.

"Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer."

I wonder if Rush Limbaugh will now have enough decency to admit he was a horse's ass when he suggested Obama's visit to Hawaii was for something nefarious rather than that of a grandson making a final visit to his grandmother.

I'm so glad he had a chance to say goodbye.

The timing breaks your heart though... just one more day...

What !! NO!

Oh man...that's...(sigh) no words.

Definitely heartbreaking timing.

Yes, just one more day. This is very sad news.

I'm so glad he saw her.

If he loses, she will have passed believing he was going to win. I don't think she could have been more proud of him. It's sadder for him than her, but then it always is for the living.

A poignant reminder that even the mightiest among us are subject the vagaries of fate.

Very sad.

Hard to imagine the emotional roller coaster Barak must be on right now (and over the next few days).

Yes, I thought of that after I posted... if he does lose, maybe that's a heartbreak she'd be spared.

Well I guess it wasn't entirely unexpected. Reportedly, she was even older than John McCain.

Yes, it was expected. However, there is no consolation for losing a grandparent or parent. Obama is lucky to be so busy. It doesn't give a lot of time for personal suffering.

By my rough calculation, she'd been around for over 30,000 days. She couldn't hang around for just one more day to see her grandson become president?

It would be cruel to force her hang on for 4 or more years.

Your empathy and sympathy are an inspiration for us all.

more likely he'll insinuate that obama had her killed to gain the sympathy votes...

and h2oman will be right there, ear eagerly pinned to the speaker quivering to his master's voice.