--- title: Barbara Bush: Barack and Michelle Obama Offer Condolences description: Barack and Michelle Obama offered condolences following the announcement that former First Lady Barbara Bush had passed away canonical: https://time.com/5244260/barbara-bush-death-obamas-condolences/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-18T01:39:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:00:20.031Z article:section: Politics og:title: Barack and Michelle Obama Offer Condolences to Bush Family og:description: Barbara Bush reflected "the very best of the American spirit," they said og:url: https://time.com/5244260/barbara-bush-death-obamas-condolences/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6216e28e07949f34/69892ded7cdbacd451d5c9e6/gettyimages-50423738.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3072 og:image:height: 1728 og:image:alt: Barbara Bush og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack and Michelle Obama Offer Condolences to Bush Family twitter:description: Barbara Bush reflected "the very best of the American spirit," they said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6216e28e07949f34/69892ded7cdbacd451d5c9e6/gettyimages-50423738.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'We'll Always Be Grateful.' 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 18, 2018 1:39 AM UTC  First Lady Barbara Bush on May 1, 1990. First Lady Barbara Bush on May 1, 1990. Diana Walker—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 18, 2018 1:39 AM UTC Barack and Michelle Obama were quick to offer [condolences](http://time.com/5244218/barbara-bush-death-reaction/) to the Bush family Tuesday night following the announcement that former First Lady Barbara Bush had passed away at 92. “We’ll always be grateful to Mrs. Bush for the generosity she showed to us throughout our time in the White House but we’re even more grateful 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 humility and decency that reflects the very best of the American spirit.” “She’ll be remembered for passing those American values on to her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren — and to the countless citizens whom she and George inspired to become ‘points of light’ in service to others.” Jim McGrath, a spokesperson for former President George H.W Bush, [announced](http://time.com/5242261/barbara-bush-dies/) the former First Lady’s death on Tuesday night. McGrath had said Sunday that Bush had decided to forego any more medical treatment and instead focus on comfort care. > [](https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/986405191711944704) Although Obama ran in 2008 on a platform of reversing the policies of Barbara Bush’s son, then-President George W. Bush, the two families have remained friendly through both of their White House transitions. Bush’s granddaughters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, [wrote](http://time.com/4632036/bush-sisters-obama-sisters/?xid=homepage) Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha a letter before they moved into the White House in 2009 about growing up in the spotlight, and again when they moved out in 2017. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5244260/barbara-bush-death-obamas-condolences/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5244260/barbara-bush-death-obamas-condolences/"},"headline":"'We'll Always Be Grateful.' 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