George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Audiovisual Archive Gallery: 3/8
Dorothy Bush is George H.W. Bush's mother. She was married to Prescott Bush in 1920 and they had five children: Prescott Jr., George H.W., Nancy, Jonathan, and William "Bucky." Nancy and Jonathan are still alive. Prescott Bush died in 1972 at the age of 77. Dorothy died in 1992.
George H.W. Bush was named after Dorothy's father, George Herbert Walker. Walker's great-grandfather was Thomas Walker, a British slave trader. George Herbert Walker started a banking and investment firm in 1900 and he helped organize the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Many considered him the power behind the local Democratic Party.
George H.W. Bush was very close to his mother, Dorothy. In fact, he named his daughter Dorothy "Doro" Bush after his mom. Dorothy Bush died at the age of 91 after suffering a stroke, The New York Times reported at the time. Bush had traveled to Washington from Greenwich with his daughter Dorothy to be at his mom's bedside after her stroke. She died just five hours after he left to return to DC. Bush had left at 8:35 a.m. to be with his mother, and quietly returned to the White House at 12:55 p.m. and did not schedule any public appearances that day. He received a phone call letting him know that his mother had passed. Barbara Bush stayed at the White House to greet President-elect Bill Clinton and Hillary and attend to ceremonial duties.
Bush had said that his mother gave a sense of loyalty and competitiveness, and taught him not to take himself too seriously. She took care to make sure her children weren't spoiled, The New York Times reported, and emphasized family values and social service. Once when George Bush was President, Barbra Bush said that his mom had "10 times more" influence on him than she did. After Bush was elected President, he put an arm around his mom and told reporters: "I just came to get my instructions from the head of the family here on how to do my job."
George Herbert Walker Bush was America's 41st President. He died just about seven months after the death of his beloved wife, Barbara Bush. A statement released by Jim McGrath on behalf of George W. Bush on November 30, 2018 read: "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens."
McGrath, the family spokesman, later released a second statement which read: "George Herbert Walker Bush, World War II naval aviator, Texas oil pioneer, and 41st President of the United States of America, died on November 30, 2018. He was 94 and is survived by his five children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and two siblings. He was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Barbara; his second child Pauline Robinson ‘Robin’ Bush; and his brothers, Prescott and William or ‘Bucky’ Bush. Funeral arrangements will be announced as soon as is practical."
Bush suffered the complications of vascular Parkinsonism for years before he passed away. The disease was why he was in a wheelchair during his last years. Vascular Parkinsonism is an "atypical" Parkinsonism that has symptoms similar to Parkinson's, but is caused by a series of small strokes rather than the neurodegeneration seen in traditional Parkinson's.
Former President Bush died at 10:10 p.m. Central time on November 30.