George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States and father to the 43rd president — George W. Bush — died late Friday night at age 94.
The Republican giant was wheelchair-bound in his final years but was still active up until the end, and the New York Times obituary of the former president detailed his fight with Parkinson’s in his final years.
Mr. Bush had a form of Parkinson’s disease that forced him to use a wheelchair or motorized scooter in recent years, and he had been in and out of hospitals during that time as his health declined. In April, a day after attending Mrs. Bush’s funeral, he was treated for an infection that had spread to his blood. In 2013, he was in dire enough shape with bronchitis that former President George W. Bush, his son, solicited ideas for a eulogy.
But he proved resilient each time. In 2013 he told well-wishers, through an aide, to “put the harps back in the closet.”
Bush follows his wife, Barbara, who died earlier this year at age 92. The two were married 70 years. Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993, the end of a life in public service that spanned four decades. A Navy pilot who was shot down in the Pacific in 1944, Bush was the last soldier who served in World War II to find his way into the White House.
George P. Bush, the former president’s grandson, tweeted in memoriam on early Saturday morning.
My grandfather was the greatest man I ever knew. His life spanned the American Century—he fought in World War II … took part in the Texas oil boom … served out a distinguished career in public service including serving as president during the final days of the Cold War. pic.twitter.com/6i68EPVC3j
— George P. Bush (@georgepbush) December 1, 2018