But Mrs. Robinson remained much the same. “Just show me how to work the washing machine and everything will be fine,” she said after moving into the White House, the Obamas said in their Friday statement.
According to the family statement, signed by Mrs. Obama, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Obama’s brother Craig Robinson, his wife Kelly and their children, Mrs. Robinson was never fully comfortable with the trappings of the White House and much preferred to dine on a TV set in his suite on the third floor of the White House residence. (“The only guest she insisted on asking to meet was the Pope,” the family said.) Robinson’s survivors include Mr. and Mrs. Obama, Craig and Kelly Robinson, and six grandchildren. Her husband, Fraser Robinson III, died in 1991.
Ms. Robinson’s move to Washington in January 2009 was initially considered temporary to help her daughter and granddaughters adjust. At the time, she was hesitant to commit to life in a new city, in a bubble of isolation, but even in resisting, she revealed some of the resolve – and wry sense of humor – that she had worked to instill in him. children.
“At the end of the day, I’ll do anything,” she told reporters at the time. “I might worry a little, but I’ll be there.”
Indeed, in the end, Mrs. M. Robinson resided in this apartment for the better part of eight years. Obama was in power. In Washington, she continued many of the tasks she began during Obama’s first presidential campaign, including enforcing her granddaughters’ bedtimes, running their baths and making sure they arrive at school on time. She eventually adapted, attending events at the Kennedy Center, hosting friends from Chicago and, only occasionally, hiring a babysitter to help watch the girls.