Obama's grandmother dies of cancer at 86
Candidate halted campaign to visit her in Hawaii
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Senator Barack Obama's maternal grandmother, who helped raise and anchor him during an itinerant childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, died yesterday at 86, according to his campaign.
The death of Madelyn Dunham, coming a day before the election, introduced a somber note in the closing hours of Obama's historic presidential bid. Dunham, who was Obama's closest remaining relative, died at her Hawaii home from cancer, his campaign said.
"Look, she has gone home," Obama, his eyes welling up and his voice thick with emotion, told a crowd of 25,000 at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte last night. "She died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side. And so there's great joy, as well as tears. I'm not going to talk about it too long, because it's hard to talk about."
With that, he paused, and began to haltingly tell Dunham's story, connecting it to his campaign message.
"She's one of those quiet heroes we have all across America," he said. "They're not famous. Their names aren't in the newspapers. But each and every day they work hard."
"That's what America is about," Obama said. "That's what we're fighting for."
Knowing that her condition was worsening, Obama halted campaigning briefly 10 days ago to visit her in Honolulu. Obama said he was determined not to repeat a mistake he made when his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, died of cancer in 1995, when he did not make it to her bedside in time.
Madelyn Dunham, whom Obama affectionally called "Toot," was a central figure in his life, helping, along with her husband, Stanley, and Obama's mother to rear him after Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., left the family. Obama regularly made trips to Hawaii around Christmas to see her. He has paid tribute to his grandparents in several high-profile addresses, including his speech in St. Paul in June after clinching the nomination.
"She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility," Obama and his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said in a statement. "She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances."
They said a small private ceremony will be held at a later date, and asked that well-wishers make a donation to an organization searching for a cancer cure.
John and Cindy McCain issued a statement of condolence, saying, "We offer our deepest condolences to Barack Obama and his family as they grieve the loss of their beloved grandmother." 