Rest in peace. Former First Lady Laura Bush‘s mother, Jenna Hawkins Welch, died from unknown causes on Friday, May 10, Laura revealed via Instagram on Mother’s Day. She was 99 years old.
“This Mother’s Day, I’m remembering my mother, who passed away at the age of 99 on Friday morning,” she wrote on the social media platform. “Jenna Hawkins Welch was a true daughter of West Texas who loved her family, books, and nature. My memories of reading with her and stargazing under the Midland sky are reminders of the passions that she nurtured in me. Our family is grateful for her long and wonderful life. We miss her dearly.”
One of Laura’s twin daughters, Jenna Bush Hager, who was seemingly named after her grandmother, also took to Instagram with a sweet tribute. “Waking up thinking of my precious namesake, Jenna Welch who passed away Friday. How lucky I was to be named after a woman who taught me how to slow down and appreciate every bird, and every plant in West Texas,” she wrote.
Jenna continued, “She read us poetry and taught us about every constellation in the sky. Her kindness and graciousness were as expansive as the West Texas horizon. So happy she’s reunited with her great love, our Pa after almost 25-years apart. Thinking of my mama too who lost her little mama right before Mother’s Day.
Her death comes after a string of sad situations for the Bush family. In April 2018, they lost George W. Bush’s mother, Barbara Bush. Just a few months later in November 2018, George’s father and Barbara’s widow, George H.W. also passed.
According to the Midland Reporter Telegram, the family held a funeral service for Jenna on Saturday, May 11.
