Betty Ford Obituary Dead at 93 Wife of Late President Gerlad Ford

Former US First Lady Betty Ford dies at 93
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford: 8th April 1918 – 8th July 2011.
Betty Ford was the wife of the former President of the United States, Gerald Ford, and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977.
Betty Ford's name is synonymous with her Center for the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction, illnesses she experienced herself during her time as America's first lady.
Ford, who died Friday at age 93, was not intimidated by the public spotlight, and used her position to passionately promote causes important to her. In the process she helped remove the stigma of speaking out publicly about sensitive issues like alcoholism, addiction and breast cancer.
Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. During and after her years in the White House, 1974 to 1977, Mrs. Ford won acclaim for her candor, wit and courage as she fought breast cancer, severe arthritis and the twin addictions of drugs and alcohol. She also pressed for abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment.
Key dates in the life of Betty Ford:
April 8, 1918: Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer born in Chicago.
1920: Family moves to Grand Rapids, Mich.
1936: Graduates from Central High School in Grand Rapids; spends next years studying dance, working for a time in New York with famed choreographer Martha Graham.
1942: Marries salesman William Warren in Grand Rapids; the union ends in divorce.
Oct. 15, 1948: Marries Gerald Ford.
Nov. 2, 1948: Gerald Ford elected to U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress for nearly 25 years, including stint as House minority leader.
March 14, 1950: Birth of first child, Michael Gerald. The Fords' other children are John Gardner, born in 1952; Steven Meigs, 1956; and Susan Elizabeth, 1957.
Dec. 6, 1973: Gerald Ford confirmed as vice president after resignation of Spiro Agnew.
Aug. 9, 1974: Gerald Ford becomes president after resignation of Richard Nixon.
Sept. 28, 1974: Betty Ford undergoes mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her openness about the disease helped encourage other women to get tested.
September 1975: Two attempts on President Gerald Ford's life, both unsuccessful, in California.
Nov. 2, 1976: Ford defeated by Jimmy Carter in quest for a full term as president.
Jan. 20, 1977: Carter is inaugurated; Fords leave the White House.
April 1978: The former president and their children persuade Betty Ford to seek treatment for abuse of medication, alcohol. ("I didn't say a word, just listened and cried," she wrote later.)
November 1978: Betty Ford publishes memoir, "The Times of My Life."
1982: Betty Ford Center opens at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
1987: Her book, "A Glad Awakening," about her recovery from substance abuse, is published; ABC-TV broadcasts "The Betty Ford Story," starring Gena Rowlands.
1991: Betty Ford is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
1999: Gerald and Betty Ford both presented with Congressional Gold Medals.
August 2000: Gerald Ford suffers small stroke while attending the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
2005: Betty Ford steps down as chairman of the Betty Ford Center board.
Dec. 26, 2006: Gerald Ford dies at age 93.
April 2007: Betty Ford undergoes surgery for an undisclosed ailment.
Aug. 31, 2007: Attends ceremony in California for issuance of postage stamp honoring her husband.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11190/1159368-122.stm
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/news-press/obituary.aspx?n=betty-ford&pid=152433346
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13546130
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11190/1159368-122.stm
http://theglobalherald.com/obituary-betty-ford/21678/?amp&
https://community.mapinfo.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=19688
http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=7308877
Video
http://www.mydesert.com/section/videonetwork?bctid=1044535570001
http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/betty-ford-1918-2011.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lady-betty-ford-dead-93/story?id=3348308
Betty Ford is escorted as President Ford's casket is brought out of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert on Dec. 30, 2006, four days after his death at age 93.