Former First Lady Nancy Reagan passes away at 94
Courtesy: Wiki Commons
By Angelina Salcedo & Amelia Fabiano
Courtesy: Wiki Commons
Nancy Reagan, widow of President Ronald Reagan and one of the most influential women of the 20th century, died of congestive heart failure on Sunday morning at the age of 94.
Reagan died at her Los Angeles residence on Sunday. Plans for Reagan’s burial have been announced by her representative and spokeswoman for the Reagan Library, Joanne Drake.
“Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004,” Drake wrote in a statement.
Her funeral will take place Friday afternoon at the library. Members of the public will have the opportunity to pay their respects on Wednesday and Thursday, prior to the funeral.
As first lady during her husband’s eight years in the White House, Reagan started the “Just say no” anti-drug campaign and was a fierce supporter and protector of her husband, whether it be political or personal.
After Ronald Reagan was shot in a 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy Reagan never left the former president’s side. Then after they left Washington, she helped her husband through his battle with Alzheimer’s disease until he passed away in 2004.
Mrs. Reagan also struggled with health issues of her own, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and had a mastectomy.
CNN’s Larry King asked the former first lady in a 2001 interview whether she felt that fate had treated her badly.
“No, no. When you balance it all out, I’ve had a pretty fabulous life,” she said.
Nancy Reagan is survived by her two children with Ronald Reagan, Patti Davis and Ron Reagan.