The Timeless Love Story Of Former First Couple George H.W. And Barbara Bush

Sep 06, 2019 by apost team

American history is full of timeless love stories. Whether you’re looking at the original First Couple, George and Martha Washington, or the idealistic days of Camelot with John and Jacqueline Kennedy, every era has its share of romantic connections. Our generation need look no further than George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara. George and Barbara had a storybook marriage. Meeting as teenagers, the two loved one another deeply, dying just months apart last year.

George and Barbara first met at a high school dance in 1941, George was 17 and Barbara was a year younger. Making his way through the dance hall at Greenwich, Connecticut’s Round Hill Club, George became enamored of Barbara. When a mutual friend introduced the two to each other, they talked and began to get to know each other. Despite being at a dance, George later wrote in his autobiography, as per NBC, that since the two of them didn’t know how to waltz, they spent much of the evening just sitting and talking. George said that even though he and Barbara didn’t dance much, their first meeting was magical, calling it a “storybook meeting.”

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While the two dated briefly following their meeting at the dance, their education separated them. George went to school at Massachusetts’s Phillips Academy while Barbara attended Ashley Hall, an all-girls boarding school in Charleston, South Carolina. To keep in touch, the two frequently wrote letters to one another, getting closer and learning more about each other despite the great distance, reports Live5. Six months into their relationship, something far darker got in the way of their blooming love. In December of 1941 the Japanese bombed the Naval base at Pearl Harbor, leading to war with the Axis Powers. When George turned 18 in June of 1942, he knew that he had to serve his country and joined the Navy.

George served as a pilot in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Early on in his tour of duty, he asked for Barbara’s hand in marriage, which she happily gave to the young pilot. As a show of his love and devotion, George named his torpedo bomber after Barbara. Disaster almost struck the young couple when George’s plane was shot down in September of 1944. George came out unscathed and returned home in January of 1945. The couple was married in Rye, New York on January 6 of that year reports The Washington Post.

Following the conclusion of the war, George finished his studies at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, after which he and Barbara moved to Midland, Texas. George became a prominent businessman in the state’s oil industry as he and Barbara started a family. George W. was their first child, having been born in 1946. George W. would become a historic figure in his own right, becoming the 43rd president of the United States in 2000. The Bushes' second child, Robin, had a tragic life. The little girl died of leukemia at only three-years-old, pushing the couple to its limits. In her grief, Barbara recalled how George would hold her. Later on, Barbara told reporters that many couples who lose children end up getting a divorce, according to Biography.com. Barbara credits George with getting them through their despair as he insisted on remaining close with his wife. The Bushes would have four other children: Jeb, Neill, Marvin, and Dorothy.

The Bushes' arrival in Texas also brought George into the political arena for the first time in his life. After serving in the House of Representatives for several years, George headed the CIA before becoming running mate to Ronald Reagan and vice president of the United States. In all of his important political positions, Barbara stood by George, both as a dedicated wife and loving mother to the family’s children. In 1989, George was sworn-in as the 41st President of the United States.

When George lost his reelection campaign in 1992, the family retired from politics. In their new life, George and Barbara dedicated their time to their children and grandchildren. In her 1994 memoir, Barbara said that when the pomp of the presidency faded, she and George were left with their family, their faith, and the unshakeable knowledge that they had lived a blessed life. As the pains of old age began to take their toll on the two, George and Barbara kept faith in one another, sticking together and even still writing love letters to each other. George would later tell reporters that every night, he would say “I love you, Barbie” before the two went to bed.

Barbara and George Bush left this world in 2018, Barbara in April and George a mere seven months later in November. Shortly before her death, Barbara said that she had been married to George for 72 years and that she was still very much in love with him. In all, the love between George and Barbara Bush is a timeless and uniquely American love story that will be remembered throughout the ages.

What do you think of George and Barbara Bush’s love story? Are there any couples in your life that you think have a storybook marriage?