FORMER First Lady Michelle Obama has openly praised her parents throughout the years.
On May 31, 2024, Michelle’s mother Marian Robinson passed away.
Who was Marian Robinson?
Before marrying her husband and raising her children – one being former First Lady Michelle Obama, Marian Robinson grew up on Chicago’s South Side.
Marian, who was born in 1937, reportedly taught her children about perseverance.
In an essay for Essence magazine, she wrote: “We’d tell them that everybody goes through trials and tribulations, and the people who succeed are the ones who say, ‘Okay, that’s just a snag,’ and keep on going.”
Michelle told NPR that her mother raised her to be independent from an early age.
She said: “And what that does for a kid – when your parent trusts you, it encourages you. It tells you that if my mom thinks I can do this, that I must be capable.”
Marian famously moved into the White House at the start of former President Barack Obama’s first term in 2009.
On Friday, May 31, 2024, the Obama family shared the news that Marian had passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning.
Michelle took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a statement, writing: “My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed.
The former first lady continued: “She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today.”
Who was Fraser Robinson III?
Like his wife, Fraser Robinson III also grew up on the South Side of Chicago.
He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 30.
Despite living with the autoimmune disease, he continued to show up to his job at a water filtration plant almost every day, according to Life In Spite of MS.
He also reportedly worked as a precinct captain for the Democratic party.
Fraser passed away in 1991 at the age of 55.
Does Michelle Obama have any siblings?
Michelle Obama grew up in Chicago with her parents and an older brother named Craig Robinson.
Craig is two years older than Michelle.
Like his sister, he attended Princeton University and played on the school’s basketball team.
In 1983, he graduated with a degree in sociology before going on to play professional basketball in Europe.
Craig went on to coach professionally, but also obtained a business degree from the University of Chicago and worked in banking.
The brother of Michelle Obama took up sports broadcasting and was named the Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 2020.