McCain’s 106-year-old mother attends son’s memorial services at U.S. Capitol

AUGUST 31, 2018

Roberta McCain, the mother of John McCain, and the senator’s daughter Meghan look on as his body lies in state inside the U.S. Capitol on August 31, 2018.- Eric Thayer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 106-year-old mother, Roberta McCain, visited Washington, D.C., on Friday to attend her son’s memorial services.

Footage shows Roberta McCain being escorted in a wheelchair to see her son’s coffin in the Capitol rotunda.

Roberta McCain, Sen. John McCain’s 106-year-old mother, pays her respects to her son at the Capitol https://t.co/P7OvLtsMTZpic.twitter.com/8mz3eIhijn

– CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) August 31, 2018

John McCain credited his mother in one of his books with “the strengths she taught (him) by example.”

“… (M)y mother was raised to be a strong, determined woman who thoroughly enjoyed life, and always tried to make the most of her opportunities,” John McCain wrote. “She was encouraged to accept, graciously and with good humor, the responsibilities and sacrifices her choices have required of her. I am grateful to her for the strengths she taught me by example.”

Roberta McCain married her son’s father at age 21 and moved around to accommodate his posting with the Navy.

John McCain’s father would later go on to become a Navy admiral. The late senator’s mother also traveled abroad often with her twin sister and accompanied her son on the campaign trail during his 2008 presidential bid, despite being well into her 90s, according to The Associated Press.

John McCain died Saturday at age 81 after a more than year-long battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. His death came one day after his family announced his decision to discontinue medical treatment.

The late Arizona Republican, a Vietnam war hero and giant of the Senate, received an outpouring of tributes and respect from friends and colleagues across the political spectrum following the news of his death.