- Nancy Bush Ellis, the sister of former President George H.W. Bush, has died, the George and Barbara Bush foundation confirmed Sunday.
- Bush Ellis died at the age of 94 at an assisted living facility in Massachusetts due to complications from COVID-19, The New York Times reported.
- According to the Times, Bush Ellis was a liberal Democrat known for an environmental activist and her support of other left-leaning causes.
- Despite their differences, Bush Ellis campaigned for both her brother and nephew when they ran for president.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Nancy Bush Ellis, the sister of former President George H.W. Bush and aunt of former President George W. Bush, died at the age of 94 on Sunday, the George and Barbara Bush foundation confirmed.
“We are sad to share that President Bush’s beloved sister, Nancy Bush Ellis, has passed away,” a Sunday statement from the George and Barbara Bush foundation read. “Our condolences and prayers are with the Ellis and Bush families as we remember a remarkable woman who brought joy and light to the world.”
Bush Ellis died at an assisted living facility in Concord Massachusetts, The New York Times reported. Her death was the result of complications stemming from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has devastated long-term care facilities in the US.
She was hospitalized with COVID-19 at the end of December when she experienced a fever, her son told The New York Times.
—George & Barbara Bush Foundation (@BushFdn) January 10, 2021
As The New York Times reported, Bush Ellis was known for holding political views uncommon among members of her family. Unlike her brother, elected as president in 1989, and nephew, elected as president in 2000, Bush Ellis was a “liberal Democrat,” according to the Times.
She was a known environmental activist, according to the Times. She also supported other left-leaning causes and organizations, including the NAACP, where she once served as the head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund for the organization’s New England chapter, according to the report.
Her brother, the 41st US president, died in November 2018, also at the age of 94. Former first lady Barbara Bush died at the age of 92 in April 2018, just several months before her husband.
Despite their conflicting political views, Ellis campaigned for both her brother and her nephew during their respective runs for the Oval Office, the Times reported.
