On March 6th, 2016, the beloved Nancy Reagan passed away at the age of 94. According to Joanne Drake, a member of the Reagan Library, her death was due to congestive heart failure

As stated on The White House’s official web page, Nancy was born on July 6th, 1921 in New York City and was raised in Chicago. She was brought by her mother, Edith, and step-father Dr. Loyal Davis.

In similarity with President Reagan, Nancy had a strong focus towards the arts. She attended Smith’s College in Massachusetts with a theater major. She then went onto to tour as an actress and got a job on Broadway for the musical, Lute Song. As an actress she was referred to as Nancy Davis. Between the years 1949 to 1956, Nancy participated in 11 different films. Some of which included Shadow on the Wall(the first movie she acted in), East Side, West Side, and Hellcats of the Navy.

In 1951, Nancy Reagan met her future husband Ronald Reagan. They got married a year later. The whitehouse.gov states, “While her husband was Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, she worked with numerous charitable groups. She spent many hours visiting veterans, the elderly, and the emotionally and physically handicapped.”

As discussed on bio.com, during Reagan’s presidency, in 1982, Nancy started the “Just Say No” campaign to combat the problematic usage of alcohol and drugs. She visited various states and countries to get her message across. She went to many rehabilitation centers and other programs. Then, in 1985, she held an international conference at the White House, focusing on adolescent drug abuse. With her work, the “National Crusade for a Drug Free America” act was created and instituted into the government, in 1986.

Later on in life, after Reagan’s two terms in office, Nancy established the Nancy Reagan Foundation. She was again focusing towards the prevention of youth drug abuse. Both Nancy and her husband, then shifted their focus to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Subsequently, both became advocates for Alzheimer research once discovering Reagan, himself, had it. For 10 years, Nancy served as a guide for her husband and stuck by his side through thick and thin. In 2004, Reagan passed away, and Nancy became a supporter for stem-cell research.

Bio. com states, “She continued to bring attention to her husband’s legacy and was awarded many distinguished awards and honors, including the Order of the White Eagle from the government of Poland and an honorary degree from Ronald Reagan’s alma mater, Eureka College. She was also present in 2009 when President Barack Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act.”

Nancy Reagan served as an advocator, an activist, and a loving supporter for her husband. All of which continue with her legacy.

In a tweet, Nancy’s step-son wrote, “I am saddened by the passing of my step mother Nancy Reagan…She is once again with the man she loved.God Bless…”.