Obama Announces Grandmother Dunham's Death

The day before the 2008 election, his voice cracking, Barack Obama told the crowd gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina that Madeline Dunham had died.

"Some of you heard that my grandmother, who helped raise me, passed away early this morning. And look, she is going home. And she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side, and so there is great joy as well as tears."

I’m not going to talk about it too long, because it’s hard a little to talk about."

Hi described his grandmother as a humble, plainspoken women who lived through the Depression and two World Wars. She raised her baby and worked on the bomber assembly line while her husband was off to war. She was one of America's quiet heroes who worked hard and sacrificed so her child and grandchildren could have a better life.

Mr. Obama also thanked John McCain for his gracious condolences and praised his continuous honorable service to his country.