Marian Robinson was the mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama and basketball executive Craig Robinson, instilling in both the importance of education.
- Died: May 31, 2024 (Who else died on May 31?)
- Details of death: Died in Chicago at the age of 86.
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Marian Robinson’s legacy
One of seven siblings in Chicago, Marian Robinson was born to a house painter and nurse. She worked office jobs in the 1960s while raising two children with her husband, Fraser Robinson III.
Her son, Craig Robinson, is a Princeton University graduate who is currently executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Her daughter, Michelle Obama, a graduate of both Princeton and Harvard Law School, went into nonprofit work after serving as an attorney and is the wife of former President Barack Obama.
Robinson emphasized education for her children, teaching them to read at an early age and staying involved in their schooling. When the Obamas ascended to the White House in 2008, she lived there with them, continuing to provide family support for their eight years of residence. She later returned to her native Chicago.
On raising two successful children:
“Both of my kids have always just said what they were going to do, and they just go out and do it.” — Interview on CBS News Sunday Morning, 2009
Tributes to Marian Robinson
Full obituary: The Washington Post
