.
KENNEDY: BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT,
FORMER FIRST LADY BARBARA BUSH
HAS DIED.
SHE WAS 92 YEARS OLD AND THE
BUSH FAMILY HAS JUST RELEASED A
STATEMENT THAT READS -- THIS IS
ACTUALLY FROM FORMER PRESIDENT
GEORGE W. BUSH.
MY DEAR MOTHER HAS PASSED ON AT
AGE 92.
WE ARE SAD BUT OUR SOULS ARE
SETTLED BECAUSE WE KNOW HERS
WAS.
BARBARA BUSH WAS A FABULOUS
FIRST LADY AND A WOMAN UNLIKE
ANY OTHER WHO BROUGHT LEVITY,
LOVE AND LITERACY TO MILLIONS.
TO US SHE WAS SO MUCH MORE.
MOM KEPT US ON OUR TOES AND KEPT
US LAUGHING UNTIL THE END.
I'M A LUCKY MAN THAT BARBARA
BUSH WAS MY MOTHER.
OUR FAMILY WILL MISS HER DEARLY
AND WE THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR
PRAYERS AND GOOD WISHES.
AND NOW TO GET JUST A SENSE OF
HOW MUCH IMPACT FORMER FIRST
LADY BARBARA BUSH HAS HAD ON THE
NATION, LET'S TALK WITH SPECIAL
REPORT ANCHOR BRETT BAIER.
HE HAS MUCH MORE.
>> BARBARA PIERS BUSH DEVELOPED
A LOVE OF LANGUAGE EARLY IN HER
LIFE-HER MOTHER AND FATHER READ
TO HER BEGINNING THE DAY SHE WAS
BORN ON JUNE 8, 1925 IN QUEENS,
NEW YORK.
SHE MET GEORGE HERBERT WALKER
BUSH AT A CHRISTMAS DANCE WHEN
SHE WAS 16.
>> I DON'T KNOW ANYONE FUNNIER
THAN HE IS.
>> THEY WERE ENGAGED IN A YEAR
AND A HALF AND MARRIED IN 19 W45
WHEN GEORGE RETURNED HOME FROM
THE WAR.
THE COUPLE MOVED MORE THAN TWO
DOZEN TIMES DURING THEIR
MARRIAGE.
THEY SETTLED IN MIDLAND, TEXAS
IN 1950 WHERE GEORGE BUILT A
BUSINESS IN THE OIL INDUSTRY.
BARBARA RAISED THEIR FIVE
CHILDREN, GEORGE, JEB, KNEEL,
MARVIN AND DOROTHY.
LITTLE ROBIN DIED FROM LEUKEMIA
>> IF YOU HAVE FIVE CHILDREN,
ALL FIVE ARE VERY VERY
DIFFERENT.
BUT IN OUR CASE ALL FIVE ARE
VERY CLOSE.
I MEAN IT'S WONDERFUL.
AND IT MAKES GEORGE AND ME, MY
HUSBAND AND I FEEL JUST GREAT
THAT THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO
MUCH.
>> THE FAMILY MOVED TO HOUSTON
IN 1959 AND FIVE YEARS LATER
BARBARA BEGAN THE FIRST OF A
LIFETIME OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS.
GEORGE LOST HIS SENATE BID THEN
BUT WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS IN