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Mahoning County GOP Chairman Mark Munroe called the Reagans the “gold standard” for couples
YOUNGSTOWN
The death of former first lady Nancy Reagan, wife of President Ronald Reagan, reminds America of what a team they were, the chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party said Sunday night.
“With Nancy always in the background or at his side ... they set an example for all of us, as husband and wife, and then as president and first lady. They really are the gold standard,” Mark Munroe said.
Mrs. Reagan died of congestive heart failure Sunday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94. She will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died June 5, 2004.
Monroe was one of several area and state Republicans who weighed in on the relationship of the Reagans and what Nancy meant to the former president and the United States.
“I had the utmost respect for Mrs. Reagan,” said Randy Law, chairman of the Trumbull County Republican Party, who described her as one of the “finest, classiest first ladies we’ve had and a fine example for the country. She helped restore a lot of dignity in the White House.”
Law said he always felt that she was very important in her husband’s career and as hs partner in life
Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich issued this statement on the passing of Mrs. Reagan:
“President Reagan has been reunited with his wife and partner, but America and the Reagan family have lost a woman of grace and strength. I join people from around the country and the world in sending them our best thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” Kasich said.
“A woman of strength and wit, Nancy Reagan’s dedication to our country was matched only by that of her husband. Theirs was one of our nation’s great love stories and a model of shared devotion to our country. America is stronger and better for their service,” said Kasich.
Also offering his tributes was U.S. Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Cincinnati. “Nancy Reagan lived a storybook life that took her from Hollywood to the White House, from actress to first lady and devoted public servant. Her devotion to our country, and to her husband, was extraordinary. I was so honored that I had the opportunity to meet her,” he said in a statement.
“I would like to acknowledge her significant contributions in the struggle to end drug abuse and addiction. She was a true leader on this issue, and I have no doubt that her focus on education and prevention, as well as treatment and recovery, helped save many Americans from the disease of addiction,” Portman said.