Photo: LUKE FRAZZA/AFP/Getty
Even thoughGeorge H. W.andBarbara Bushare gone, their love for their family is not forgotten.
The morning of her interview with PEOPLE Hager says twin sisterBarbara Pierce Bushhad remarked, “Every grandchild thought they were their favorite.”
“She was like, ‘I wasn’t sure that I’m their favorite’ — and then we got into a public argument about how I was sure I was,” Hager, 37, recalls.
She holds tight to that abiding affection.
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“It’s also like, ‘Wow, to build a family the way that they did where everybody really loves each other,’ ” Hager says, noting that for the former president and first lady “family was a priority.”
George H. W. and Mrs. Bush died within months of each other last yearafter 73 years of marriage. Their passing inspired immense public mourning.
The Bush family.JOHN MOTTERN/AFP/Getty
Jenna Bush Hager (left) with mom Laura Bush.Richard Drew/AP/REX/Shutterstock
The couple, as matriarch and patriarch of a political dynasty that included two presidents, were no less dedicated at home.
“Our grandfather belonged, of course, to us, but also to the world,” granddaughter Ashley Bushsaid onGood Morning Americain December.
“While he was a part of the whole world, he was very grounded and certainly made us all feel very loved and made us all feel very special,” Ashley said.
Grandson Pierce Bushtold C-SPAN last year, of Mrs. Bush, “She was passionate about us not living idle lives and not taking it for granted and doing something that mattered.”
Hager tells PEOPLE that her dad, former PresidentGeorge W. Bush, is “doing well” in the months since his parents’ died. As their oldest son, he’s now stepping into both of their roles in the family.
She says: “It’s a large job to fill, but I think he can do it.”
source: people.com
