CHICAGO (AP) — Maggie Daley, the wife of former Chicago
Mayor Richard M. Daley and a gracious promoter of the city's cultural and
educational programs, has died. She was 68.
The former Chicago first lady, who had been
diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, died Thursday night, family spokeswoman
Jacquelyn Heard told The Associated Press. Daley had been a reserved and
dignified presence at her husband's side during his 22 eventful years as mayor.
Heard said Daley was surrounded by her husband and
children when she died just after 6 p.m. CDT.
"The mayor and his family would like to thank
the people of Chicago for the many kindnesses they've shown Mrs. Daley over the
years, and they appreciate your prayers during this time," Heard said.
When she first learned she had breast cancer in
June 2002, Daley said she was shocked. "But you pick up and you move on.
... I'm not alone here. There are a lot of people who have experienced
this," Daley said in the weeks after the diagnosis.
Rahm Emanuel, who succeeded Richard M. Daley as
mayor, said Chicago had "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 in a statement. "Of all her
accomplishments, Maggie's most treasured role was as a wife, mother, and
grandmother."
President Barack Obama, who is from Chicago, said
in a statement that her efforts on behalf of the city's children "live on
as national models for how to create environments for children to learn and
grow outside the classroom."
The Daleys' daughter, Lally, had moved up her
wedding from New Year's Eve to Nov. 17 so her mother could fully participate.
The former mayor said his wife had a difficult summer, and a longtime mayoral
aide said she had suffered setbacks and was not getting around as much as she
normally did.
"Tonight, the state of Illinois lost a great
treasure," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said in a statement released Thursday
night. "Maggie Daley was a woman for all seasons who treated Chicago
residents like family and served up hope and inspiration wherever she
went."
When Richard Daley was elected to his first term as
Chicago's mayor in 1989, he thanked his wife in his acceptance speech, calling
her "the best campaigner in the family." She was with him at the
September 2010 news conference when he announced he wouldn't seek another term.
He left office in May 2011.
During his time in office, Richard Daley would
routinely tear up when he spoke about his wife. They had met while he was
campaigning for the Illinois Senate and were married in 1972. Eventually, their
partnership became a steady force for the city during his at-times turbulent
two decades at the helm of the nation's third-largest city.
In the years after the cancer was diagnosed, Maggie
Daley was in and out of the hospital. She received chemotherapy, hormonal
therapy, biological therapy and had a tumor removed from her right breast.
By December 2009, doctors said the cancer had
spread and Daley had radiation treatment for a cancerous lesion on a bone of
her lower right leg. Doctors advised her to use a wheelchair until she finished
therapy.
In March 2010, a titanium rod was inserted into her
leg to reduce the risk of fracture after having radiation treatment on the leg.
All the while, she maintained a public life as Chicago's
first lady.
She was in Millennium Park in 2006 when the city's
"Cloudgate" statue was dedicated, calling it the cornerstone of the
park.
"It serves as a gateway to the lakefront and
downtown and beautifully captures our signature skyline," she said.
In 2009, she and more than a dozen athletes
headlined a departure party before boarding a flight to Copenhagen where the
International Olympic Committee was to decide if Chicago would host the 2016
Summer Games. The committee picked Rio de Janeiro.
She was active in Gallery 37, which educates and
employs young people in the arts, and she was a champion of the educational
program After School Matters.
The organization said in a statement that
"Chicago's teens have lost their strongest voice and champion."
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White called her "the driving force for
the program's success."
She also had held a paid position as president of
Pathways Awareness Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to teach
parents about disabilities affecting children.
While her husband could be prickly, particularly
with the media, Maggie Daley became a beloved figure. She declined most
interview requests, saying she did not want to talk about herself, but she was
gracious and smiling with reporters, typically saying only that she was feeling
"just fine" when asked about her health. When, for example, her
crutches fell to the stage during a rare speech, she simply said, "It's
OK, we'll just leave them there," and moved on.
Born Margaret Corbett, she earned a bachelor's
degree in history from the University of Dayton and held honorary degrees from
Columbia College in Chicago and the Catholic Theological Union.
She is survived by her husband and three children.
Her 33-month-old son, Kevin, died of complications related to spina bifida in
1981.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
