Current:Home > MarketsKentucky Congressman Thomas Massie announces the death of his wife, Rhonda Massie-InfoLens
Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie announces the death of his wife, Rhonda Massie
View Date:2024-12-23 11:22:42
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Rhonda Massie, the wife of U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, has died, the Kentucky congressman announced Friday in a moving social media tribute to his high school sweetheart and the “love of my life.”
No details about the cause of death or her age were immediately provided by Massie or his staff.
“Yesterday my high school sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mother of our 4 children, the smartest kindest woman I ever knew, my beautiful and wise queen forever, Rhonda went to Heaven,” Massie wrote on the social platform X.
His social media posts featured photos showing the couple and their family. The congressman said the couple spent time with their grandson last week while touring Mount Rainier in Washington.
Massie wrote about his wife’s academic achievements and devotion to her family.
“She was valedictorian at our high school where we went to the Prom together, accepted at MIT and Harvard, earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from MIT, and devoted her life to our family,” he wrote.
The MIT-educated Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican first elected to Congress in 2012, easily defeated two GOP challengers in Kentucky’s May primary. With no Democratic opponent in the fall, Massie’s primary victory cleared his way to claim another term in November. His district stretches across northern Kentucky.
His wife’s death brought an outpouring of condolences from Kentucky and beyond.
U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said in a social media post that he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Rhonda Massie’s death. Barr suffered a similar tragedy four years ago when his wife, Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, died. She was 39.
“Rhonda’s warmth, kindness, and dedication to her family and community touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing her,” Barr wrote Friday.
Kentucky state Sen. John Schickel said his “heart breaks” for the congressman and the couple’s children.
“Rhonda was a fantastic human being, and her loving marriage with Congressman Massie was among the most beautiful you could imagine,” Schickel said. “They were high school sweethearts and college classmates. It was a true love story.”
The Republican Party of Kentucky said in a statement that Rhonda Massie was “an amazing mother, wife, and Kentuckian. She touched all who knew her and will be deeply missed.”
veryGood! (425)
Related
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Science says declining social invites is OK. Here are 3 tips for doing it
- Oprah identifies this as 'the thing that really matters' and it's not fame or fortune
- A train in Slovenia hits maintenance workers on the tracks. 2 were killed and 4 others were injured
- 2025 NFL mock draft: QBs Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward crack top five
- No. 1 recruit Jeremiah Smith ends speculation as Ohio State confirms signing Wednesday
- The 'Yellowstone' effect on Montana
- Grammy nominee Gracie Abrams makes music that unites strangers — and has Taylor Swift calling
- 13 escaped monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina after 30 were recaptured
- Oprah identifies this as 'the thing that really matters' and it's not fame or fortune
Ranking
- Wisconsin authorities believe kayaker staged his disappearance and fled to Europe
- Berlin film festival to honor Martin Scorsese for lifetime achievement
- Top US officials to visit Mexico for border talks as immigration negotiations with Congress continue
- Extreme heat represents a new threat to trees and plants in the Pacific Northwest
- Seattle man faces 5 assault charges in random sidewalk stabbings
- Oscars shortlists revealed: Here are the films one step closer to a nomination
- Paul Finebaum calls Michigan football's Jim Harbaugh a 'dinosaur in a changing world'
- Photos of Iceland volcano eruption show lava fountains, miles-long crack in Earth south of Grindavik
Recommendation
-
Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 13 drawing: Jackpot rises to $113 million
-
Philadelphia news helicopter crew filmed Christmas lights in New Jersey before fatal crash
-
North Dakota judge to decide whether to temporarily block part of abortion law that limits doctors
-
Pacific storm dumps heavy rains, unleashes flooding in California coastal cities
-
Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
-
Glee's Kevin McHale Reveals Surprising Way He Learned Lea Michele & Cory Monteith Were Dating IRL
-
Kelly Clarkson says her dogs helped her with grief of divorce, wants to 'work on me' now
-
Man accused of texting death threats to Ramaswamy faces similar charges involving 2 more candidates