The 41st President of the United States, George HW Bush, is being celebrated around the world today as a man of integrity, grace, and compassion. However, it is the last moment of his life before passing away on Friday that is being lauded as among the most memorable.
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After many years of illnesses and months of hospitalizations following the April death of his wife of 73 years, Barbara, the elder President Bush was asked on Friday if he wanted to go back to the hospital. “No,” was his simple reply, adding that he was ready to go and be with Barbara and their late daughter Robin, who died of leukemia as a child.
It was at that moment, according to a family spokesman, that George HW Bush began saying his final goodbyes.
In his final words during a phone call with his son, former President George W. Bush, the son told the senior George Bush that he had been a “wonderful father.”
His father’s reply — and final words — were: “I love you, too.”
George HW Bush died later that day at his home in Houston surrounded by his son Neil Bush and wife Maria, his best friend and former Secretary of State James Baker, and his grandson Pierce Bush.
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Hillary and I mourn the passing of President George H.W. Bush, and give thanks for his great long life of service, love, and friendship. I will be forever grateful for the friendship we formed. From the moment I met him as a young governor invited to his home in Kennebunkport, I was struck by the kindness he showed to Chelsea, by his innate and genuine decency, and by his devotion to Barbara, his children, and their growing brood. – Former President Bill and former first lady Hillary Clinton
America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Not merely for the years he spent as our forty-first President, but for the more than 70 years he spent in devoted service to the country he loved — from a decorated Naval aviator who nearly gave his life in World War II, to Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces, with plenty of posts along the way. Ambassador to the United Nations. Director of Central Intelligence. U.S. Envoy to China. Vice President of the United States. … After seventy-three years of marriage, George and Barbara Bush are together again now, two points of light that never dimmed, two points of light that ignited countless others with their example — the example of a man who, even after commanding the world’s mightiest military, once said “I got more of a kick out of being one of the founders of the YMCA in Midland, Texas back in 1952 than almost anything I’ve done.” – Former President Barack Obama
I express my deep condolences to the family of George H.W. Bush and all Americans over the death of the 41st president of the United States. I have a lot of memories associated with this person. We had a chance to work together during the years of tremendous changes. It was a dramatic time that demanded great responsibility from everyone. The result was an end to the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. I pay tribute to the contribution of George H. W. Bush to this historic achievement. He was a real partner. – Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
It was with sadness that I learned of the death of President George H W Bush last night. President Bush was a great friend and ally of the United Kingdom. He was also a patriot, serving his country with honour and distinction in Office and during the Second World War. Prince Philip and I remember our days in Texas in 1991 with great fondness. My thoughts and prayers are with President Bush’s family and the American people. – Queen Elizabeth II
President George Herbert Walker Bush will lie in state at the US Capitol this week before a memorial service on Wednesday at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. An additional memorial service will follow at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston. He will be laid to rest at the George HW Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, alongside his wife and daughter.
George HW Bush was 94.
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Truth is, I have no affinity for Bush’s politics. See: Lee Atwater, 1988 presidential campaign manager for Repub nominee George H. W. Bush – and Atwater’s use of Willie Horton). And I give him very mixed reviews when it came to his policies.
However, I have tremendous respect for his dedication and service to his faith, his family and his country (*he served as a torpedo bomber pilot in the Pacific theater of World War II when his squadron is attacked by Japanese anti-aircraft guns).
*”Navy aviator George H.W. Bush and his squadron attacked” – History.com
May he Rest in Peace.