Marian Robinson, mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama and basketball executive Craig Robinson, passed away Friday at 86 years old. The Chicago-born woman worked as a secretary and executive assistant before moving to the White House with her daughter and son in-law. She built a reputation during Barack Obama’s presidential campaign as being a rock to the family. Often described as being humble and family oriented, the former president once called her “the least pretentious person I know.”
“She grew up one of seven children on the red-lined South Side of Chicago, the daughter of Purnell Shields and Rebecca Jumper,” a statement from Barack and Michelle Obama, Kelly and Craig Robinson, and the couples’ children, read. “She learned early that even in the face of hardship, there was music to be found.”
