Maggie Daley, Chicago’s Gracious First Lady, Dies at 68

Maggie Daley, who dedicated herself to children’s issues and the arts, while also zealously guarding her family’s privacy during 22 years as Chicago’s First Lady, died tonight, more than nine years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 68.

Since disclosing her diagnosis in 2002, for the subsequent nine painstaking years she soothed us with her grace under pressure as a public person making innumerable appearances before crowds and cameras.The news of the death of Maggie Daley sparked memories from many who knew her and saw her handle the role of Chicago’s first lady with such warmth and grace.

“Tonight we grieve for the Daley family,” the current Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “Chicago has lost a warm and gracious First Lady who contributed immeasurably to our city. While Mayor Daley served as the head of this city, Maggie was its heart.” Emanuel said her “most treasured role was as a wife, mother, and grandmother.”

“Our hearts go out to Mayor Daley, Nora, Patrick, Lally and the rest of the Daley family,” Emanuel said. “Just as Maggie will remain a constant presence in their lives, she will remain a constant presence in our city.  Like Chicagoans everywhere, Amy and I will always hold her in our hearts.Whether you knew her personally or were among the countless more who loved and admired her, all of Chicago will remember Maggie for the grace and dignity with which she served for twenty-two years as First Lady.”

The former first lady proved resilient in the face of the disease, and her friends and admirers noted her ability to rise above her illness. “In the city of big shoulders, her grace and charm made our town a very classy place,” said Father John Cusick, a good friend and priest at their Old St. Patrick’s Church. “I really feel for Rich. He will miss her so much. Being a public family, they were able to be a private family, too. What a great person. May she have eternal rest.”

A Tribute to Maggie Daley (1943-2011)

Statement by President Obama on the Passing of Maggie Daley here.

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Thanksgiving: The Freedom from Want

Norman Rockwell: Freedom from Want

Paintings by: Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)

Freedom from Want or The Thanksgiving Picture is one of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings, inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms. Freedom from Want was published in the March 6, 1943, issue of The Saturday Evening Post and later was included as the cover image of the 1946 book Norman Rockwell, Illustrator, written when Rockwell was at the height of his fame as America’s most popular illustrator.

Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Thanksgiving Song

Casey Neistat and His Son Make Thanksgiving Dinner

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