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[h=4]Nancy Reagan: Charm, grace, and a passion for America[/h]Former first lady died of congestive heart failure
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[h=2]Nancy Reagan passes[/h] Former president Gerald Ford, center left, and his wife, Betty, far left, along with Reagan and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, share a moment during the celebration of former president Ronald Reagan's 85th birthday at Chasen's restaurant in West Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 6, 1996. Reed Saxon, AP
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Nancy and Ronald Reagan in 1975.(Photo: Bill Hudson, AP)
Former first lady<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Nancy Reagan, the former actress who played a pivotal<span style="color: Red;">*</span>role in the political rise and presidency of husband Ronald Reagan,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>died Sunday of congestive heart failure at the age of 94, the Reagan library announced.
She will be buried next to her husband, former President Ronald Reagan, at his presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.
"Prior to the funeral service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the Library," its statement<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said. "Details will be announced shortly."
Tributes to Mrs. Reagan<span style="color: Red;">*</span>poured in from across the political spectrum.
"Our former first lady<span style="color: Red;">*</span>redefined the role in her time here," President Obama said in a statement. "Later, in her long goodbye with President Reagan, she became a voice on behalf of millions of families going through the depleting, aching reality of Alzheimer’s, and took on a new role, as advocate, on behalf of treatments that hold the potential and the promise to improve and save lives."
Obama noted that Mrs. Reagan once wrote, correctly, that nothing can prepare you for living in the White House —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but he and current first lady Michelle Obama "had a head start, because we were fortunate to benefit from her proud example,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and her warm and generous advice."
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Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, said that,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"with the passing of Nancy Reagan, we say a final goodbye to the days of Ronald Reagan.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>With charm, grace, and a passion for America, this couple reminded us of the greatness and the endurance of the American experiment."
Barbara Bush, Mrs. Reagan's successor as first lady, said she "was totally devoted to President Reagan, and we take comfort that they will be reunited once more."
Former President George W. Bush said that, during her eight years in the White House, Mrs. Reagan "raised<span style="color: Red;">*</span>awareness about drug abuse and breast cancer." <span style="color: Red;">*</span>Bush added that when he and wife Laura moved into the White House in 2001, "we benefited from her work to make those historic rooms beautiful."
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The former first lady died of congestive heart failure.
Ex-President Bill Clinton, who issued a statement along with wife and 2016 Democratic<span style="color: Red;">*</span>presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, described<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mrs. Reagan's strength of character as "legendary, particularly when tested by the attempted assassination of the President, and throughout his battle with Alzheimer's."
Jimmy Carter, the former president who lost the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan, said that Mrs. Reagan's "Just Say No" program "prevented many young people from falling prey to the allure of drug use."
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The 2016 Republican presidential candidates also praised the former first lady.
Donald Trump called Mrs. Reagan "the wife of a truly great President" and "an amazing woman" who will be missed, while Ted Cruz said she will be "remembered for her deep passion for this nation and love for her husband.."<span style="color: Red;">*</span>John Kasich described<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Reagans' marriage as "one of our nation's great love stories and a model of shared devotion to our country," while Marco Rubio called the former first lady "a true example of integrity and grace."
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A Democrat, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, said that "you didn't have to be a Reagan Republican to admire and respect Nancy Reagan." He called her a tower of strength who had strong beliefs and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"was not afraid to chart her own course politically," including support for the Brady gun control law.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., citing President Reagan's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>late-in-life battle with Alzheimer's,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>praised Nancy<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Reagan for her support of stem-called research, "channeling her family's private struggle into public advocacy on behalf of the millions of Americans fighting this disease."
Long-time aide Michael Deaver, who died in 2007,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>once said that,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“without Nancy, there would have been no Governor Reagan, no President Reagan."
The former president<span style="color: Red;">*</span>died in 2004.
"Hands intertwined, Nancy and Ron rose to the pinnacle of political power, weathered cancer and personal heartbreak, and braved the depths of Alzheimer's cold embrace -- always together," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R- Ky.
Born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6, 1921 —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and given the name Nancy by her mother —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mrs. Reagan's father left the family when she was young. Her mother, Edith Luckett<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Robbins, toured the country as an actress. She<span style="color: Red;">*</span>later married Dr. Loyal Davis, and the family settled in Chicago.
Having caught the acting bug from her mother, young<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Nancy pursued the profession in New York and Hollywood,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>where she met with fellow actor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Ronald Reagan.
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The two married on March 4, 1952.
The former Nancy Davis made 11 films in all, her last one coming in 1956: Hellcats of the Navy, co-starring her husband.
After her husband's election as governor of California in 1966,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mrs. Reagan began projects to assist wounded Vietnam veterans, prisoners of war, and service members missing in action. As first lady of the United States, Mrs. Reagan made drug abuse a central focus for her "Just Say No" program.
The library said that Mrs. Reagan<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is survived by her brother, Dr. Richard Davis; her<span style="color: Red;">*</span>two children with Ronald Reagan —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Patti Davis and Ronald Prescott Reagan —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and her stepson, Michael Reagan, as well numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Reagan had requested that memorial contributions be made to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation, the announcement said.
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