” ‘Mama Sarah’ as she was popularly known, was the third wife of the former US leader’s paternal grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama and helped raise the former president’s father, Barack Sr.,” CNN reported.
Obama’s half-sister, Dr. Auma Obama, also delivered a poignant tribute to “the most important person” in her life for her 90K Twitter followers.
Just lost the most important person in my life – my gran, Mama Sarah. My heart is broken! But as I write, not able to stop the tears from pouring, I know I was blessed to have her for so long! My inspiration, my rock, my comfort zone, my safe space. Rest in peace Dani! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GkkKrL4oYb
— Auma Obama (@AumaObama) March 29, 2021
Obama lost his maternal grandmother, Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham, to cancer at age 86, in the same week that Obama was announced the winner of the presidential election over Sen. John McCain in November 2008.
Mama Sarah, a devout Muslim who earned a living as a cook for British missionaries, was also a prolific philanthropist. She did not even own her first TV until after Obama was elected president. Her prominence on the national scene was amplified after her grandson called her “granny” in his bestselling book Dreams From My Father. It grew even more after then-Sen. Barack Obama visited her in Kenya in 2006.
According to CNN, Obama became the first sitting president to ever personally visit the country of Kenya in 2015, and he returned once more after leaving office in 2018.
Live lived well👏👑👑fly with Angels Mama Sarah ❤️❤️❤️ #BarackObama #KameneAndJalas pic.twitter.com/0mER4ZvhtZ
— OKARI NDUBI. (@FranklinRapizzo) March 29, 2021
