Jenna Bush Hager is sharing sweet memories of her late grandfather, President George H. W. Bush.
On Wednesday, June 12, the former first daughter and Today with Hoda and Jenna host paid tribute to the 41st president, on what would have been his 100th birthday.
“We all miss him so dearly and on this day, I’m remembering the lessons he taught us and finding comfort in his ever-present love, said Bush Hager, 42, during an appearance on the Todayshow of the politician, who she affectionately called “Gampy.”
To honor H. W. Bush, Bush Hager wrote a “therapeutic” letter, following in the tradition of letter-writing so cherished by the late president.
Read her note, in full, below.
Dear Gampy,
We miss you. We miss your letters and email. We miss racing through the waves of the Atlantic on your boat, fishing, laughing and debating around the dinner table.
We miss your rules: ‘Don’t be afraid to shed a tear when your heart is broken, or when a friend is hurting.’ ‘Nobody likes an over-bearing big shot.’ And ‘As you succeed, be kind to people, thank those that help you along the way.’
We miss your quiet compassion, like the time you shaved your head for the son of your secret service agent who had Leukemia. We miss your belief that we are better when we work together. And your lifelong devotion to our country, as one of the youngest Navy pilots in World War II.
We remember your love of skydiving this week, many of your grandkids, inspired by you, will jump out of a plane — your milestone birthday tradition that you so proudly did in honor of our nation’s military and your service.
You have been gone for 8 years, but we feel you still as we look into the sky and see a thousand points of light, and simple acts of love, and in the smile’s of your great-grandchildren.
Devotedly, Jenna.
“It’s really hard to believe it’s been eight years since I’ve gotten to see him,” Bush Hager said.
The group went on to discuss how H. W. Bush’s reputation for being kind during his presidency, something Bush Hager said “we can all learn from.”
“He would sit around with friends of all different faiths, of all different political parties, and he loved to debate — that was his favorite thing to do. And he would sit at that table and sometimes there were tears, sometimes there was anger, but there was always love at the root of it,” she recalled. “So I would say, think about all of those who came before, the greatest generation … let’s learn from them and their sacrifice of service and family and love. But also, conversation and gentleness.”
Bush Hager then recalled being in the grocery store with her mom, former First Lady Laura Bush, when she saw the word “Wimp” on the cover of a magazine with a picture of her grandfather on it.
“I knew the word, because other bullies said the word on the playground — it was a very popular word at the time,” Bush Hager said. “And it was because he was gentle, he led with kindness, he wanted to be the type of leader who listened, and it was a stark contrast.”
“Being gentle and leading with love is actually the opposite of being a wimp,” she noted.
George H. W. Bush died on Nov 30, 2018 at age 94, about eight months after the death of his beloved wife, former First Lady Barbara Bush . Bush Hager was at his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, where she read a prayer from the lectern.
Two years later, the mother of three published Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss, a collection of essays remembering the funniest, most poignant moments she shared with her paternal grandparents and her maternal grandparents, Harold Welch and Jenna Welch.
“As long as I’m alive, my grandparents will not be forgotten ,” she said at the time of the book’s announcement. “I hear their voices in the letters they sent me and in my memories. They offer comfort, support, and guidance, and I will listen to them always.”
Bush Hager has also shared candid words about the former president on social media, including on the one anniversary of his death.
“He is gone but he left behind a family that loves each other — we talked yesterday about how much we love him and each other,” she wrote in 2019 . “He showed us that serving with humility is the best way to serve and that living with kindness and generosity of spirit is the best way to live.”
But it was in 2021 that Bush Hager took her tribute to new heights, when she went skydiving with the Army’s Golden Knights, the same group that H. W. Bush went skydiving with to celebrate his 90th birthday back in 2014.
The jump was documented on Today. And even though Bush Hager was “horrible terrified” to do the skydive, she noted she was “so inspired” by her grandfather. “If he can do it, I can too,” she said.
Subsequent footage then saw Bush take the plunge from100,000 feet, landing at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
“[My grandfather] always said, ‘Make sure you enjoy the game,’ and I think there’s no better way to enjoy it than by living like this,” she said after landing safely. “I hope he would be proud.”
