As you know, the Illinois Senator Barack Obama pulled off the biggest win of his political career last night. Last night, as the incumbent president gave his acceptance speech, he was surrounded by his family and approximately 240,000 supporters. He should be on top of the world at this particular moment in time.
(Photo has been released into the public domain by the photographer, Tim Bekaert)
But, there was something that put a damper on Obama’s history making win. His maternal grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, died two days before the election. Madelyn and her husband, Obama’s maternal grandfather Stanley, raised Obama from the age of 10 when his parent’s marriage fell apart. Obama and his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng referred to Madelyn as “Toot,” which is short for the Hawaiian word for grandmother “tutu.” He described his grandmother as “quiet yet firm.” He admired that she was a pioneer of sorts, serving as the first female vice-president of a local bank.
Madelyn had been ill with cancer and if you remember, Obama took time off last week to visit her in Hawaii. He told CBS that he didn’t want to get there too late, like he did when his own mother died in 1995 of ovarian cancer.
After Madelyn died peacefully on Sunday night, Obama told a crowd of supporters at the University of North Carolina Charlotte that “she’s gone home.” At the same rally, Obama said that his grandmother was “one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America. They’re not famous. Their names are not in the newspapers, but each and every day they work hard. They aren’t seeking the limelight. All they try to do is just do the right thing.”
Security was posted outside her apartment in Honolulu where Obama was raised and signs warned the public to keep out. Georgia McCauley, an old family friend, said that everyone was hoping Madelyn would live long enough to see Obama elected. She noted that the win was a “bittersweet victory” for Obama.