When one door closes, another opens; but we often look
so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we
do not see the one which has opened for us.

Alexander Graham Bell

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/obamas-grandmother-dies/

Obama's Grandmother Dies

By Jeff Zeleny

Senator Barack Obama's grandmother, a central figure in his life who helped
raise him during his teen-age years, died in Hawaii on Monday morning
[November 3, 2008].

Mr. Obama, who left the presidential campaign trail late last month to
travel to Honolulu [Hawaii] to bid her farewell, announced the death in a
statement released by his spokesman upon landing here this afternoon. Her
death comes one day shy of Election Day.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn
Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer," Mr. Obama said in a
statement. "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of
extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who
encouraged and allowed us to take chances."

Madelyn Dunham, who turned 86 on October 26 [2008], was unable to travel to
see her grandson on the campaign trail. But from her apartment in Honolulu,
she religiously followed his bid for the presidency, tracking his movements
and his progression through cable television.

Mr. Obama learned of his grandmother's death a little after 8 a.m. in
Jacksonville, Florida, where he had spent the evening, said Robert Gibbs, a
senior adviser. Mr. Gibbs said that Mrs. Dunham died late Sunday evening on
Hawaii Standard Time, which was between 4 and 5 a.m. on the East Coast.

"She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this
world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and
enduring," Mr. Obama said in the statement. "Our debt to her is beyond
measure."

Mr. Obama released the statement with his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who has
been at Mrs. Dunham's side while Mr. Obama has been campaigning for
president.

"Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards,
well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our
grandmother and us great comfort," Mr. Obama said in the statement. "Our
grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small
private ceremony to be held at a later date."

By The Associated Press – 10 hours ago

Madelyn Payne Dunham

HONOLULU (AP) — Madelyn Payne Dunham, Barack Obama's grandmother, whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic presidential contender, has died. She was 86.

Obama announced the news from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C. The joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng said Dunham died Sunday at her Honolulu apartment after a battle with cancer.

Last month, Obama took a break from campaigning and flew to Hawaii to be with Dunham as her health declined. He told CBS that he "got there too late" when his mother died of ovarian cancer in 1995 at age 53 and wanted to avoid that mistake again.

The Kansas-born Dunham and her husband, Stanley, raised their grandson for several years in Honolulu while their daughter and her second husband lived overseas. Her influence on Obama's manner and the way he viewed the world was substantial, the candidate told millions watching him accept his party's nomination in Denver in August.

"She's the one who taught me about hard work," he said. "She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me."