Madelyn Dunham Remembered Not by Death, but the Life She Gave to Others

According to reports from the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun, Madelyn Dunham, the beloved grandmother of Barack Obama has passed away at the age of 87. She had been ill, causing Obama to recently suspend campaign activities to visit with her for a couple days. He has since resumed campaigning and received the news of her death at about 8 am Monday Nov 3, a few hours after her passing.

The Barack Obama campaign released a statement in the name of Barack and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, on November 3^rd regarding the death (and life) of Madelyn Dunham. "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility," read a portion of the statement.

Madelyn Dunham raised Barack for a good portion of his life and is a large part of who he is today. Many, especially the family of Barack Obama, were hoping she would at least live to see the election results. She died only one day before Election Day 2008.

Madelyn Dunham is affectionately known to Barack, Michelle, and the Obama kids as "Toots" or "Tu," derived from the Hawaiian name for grandparent. "Barry" is her nickname for Barack, who was raised by her for a greater portion of his childhood.

In his book "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama describes his adolescent years living with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii. During this time, his mother, the late Ann Dunham, resided in Indonesia. According to Barack, his grandfather, Stanley Dunham, was distant and removed. Obama also mentioned that Grandma Toots Dunham demonstrated "dogged practicality that kept the family afloat."

Madelyn and Stanley eloped shortly before Dec. 7, 1941, the date of the Pearl Harbor attack. Stanley enlisted right afterward. While in the service, Ann Dunham, Barack's mother, was born. Madelyn worked on an assembly line for bomber planes while family helped to care for the baby.

The couple eventually moved to Hawaii with young Ann because Stanley had a job opportunity there to work as a furniture salesman. This is where they stayed and the reason Barack Obama eventually was born in Hawaii.

At first, Barack resided with his mother, Ann Dunham, and his father Barack Obama Sr. The senior Obama abandoned his family early on, causing Ann Dunham to divorce him and eventually move to Indonesia with her second husband. Barack Obama was 6 at that time and went to stay with his grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley.

"His grandparents loved him fiercely and fearlessly," writes Joann F. Price in the newly released "Barack Obama: A Biography," published as a high school text by Greenwood Biographies, a division of Greenwood Press.

"They were proud of him, and his mixed parentage never seemed to be an issue for them," Price writes. "They encouraged him, disciplined him, and saw that he got his education and did his best in school."

It is through Barack, that Madelyn Dunham can be remembered. Through her love and great parenting skills, she provided him with the strength, courage, humility, and perseverance that he has today.

Letting it be known that their debt to her was immeasurable, another portion of the Barack and Maya statement also read "She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring."

Sources:

1) Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-obama-grandmother-madelyn-dunham,0,2249369.story

2) Baltimore Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-obamaside1103,0,2587213.story

3) "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama

4) "Barack Obama: A Biography," Joann F. Price, Greenwood Press