Barbara Bush remembered

Presidents, first ladies, and world leaders on Wednesday praised the wit, devotion, and fortitude of Barbara Bush, the wife of former President George H.W. Bush who died Tuesday at age 92. Her son, former President George W. Bush, said his family’s “souls are settled because we know hers was,” adding, “Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end.” President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump praised Bush for being an “advocate of the American family.” President Bill Clinton described Bush as “fierce and feisty in support of her family and friends, her country and her causes” and recalled summer visits to the Bushes’ vacation home in Kennebunkport, Maine, noting, “Barbara joked that George and I spent so much time together I had become almost a member of the family, the ‘black sheep’ that had gone astray.” Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama noted the generosity she showed them during their time in the White House and said she was an example of “humility and decency” and “a testament to the fact that public service is an important and noble calling.” Former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter called Bush “the matriarch of a family dedicated to serving.” Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, whose latter years in office overlapped the Bush presidency, remembered the former first lady as warm and astute, adding, “Barbara did a lot to build trust and friendship between us.” An invitation-only funeral is planned for Saturday at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, where the Bushes regularly attended. She will lie in repose on Friday at the church for members of the public who want to pay their respects.