WASHINGTON, DC
Friday, July 8, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Betty Ford, wife of former President Gerald Ford and the founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction, has died at age 93.
Ford's death has drawn an outpouring of sympathy from across the nation.
"She was a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous First Lady," former President George H.W. Bush said in a statement on Friday. "No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced."
"She has been an inspiration to so many through her efforts to educate women about breast cancer and her wonderful work at the Betty Ford Center," fellow former first lady Nancy Reagan said in a statement.
"Betty was a remarkable woman whose legacy will live on in people around the country whose lives are longer and better because of her work," former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said in a statement. "We are grateful for her contributions, and for her kindness to us. We will miss her."
"Throughout her long and active life, Elizabeth Anne Ford distinguished herself through her courage and compassion," President Obama said Friday in a statement. "As our nation's First Lady, she was a powerful advocate for women's health and women's rights. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment. While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life."
Much of Ford’s work took place after her husband’s presidency. By 1978, she was in a stage of full-blown addiction, later describing herself with characteristic candor as “this nice, dopey pill-pusher sitting around and nodding.”
A family intervention led to treatment, which in turn provided the model for what would become the Betty Ford Center.
A family spokeswoman says Betty Ford's children and relatives are traveling to California to make funeral arrangements for the former First Lady.
The family expects to organize a service in Palm Springs over the next couple days. Ford's body will be sent to Michigan for burial alongside former President Gerald Ford, who is buried at his namesake library in Grand Rapids.
Updated: 7 hr., 39 min. ago
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