BILL and Hillary Clinton have joined those paying tribute to Pat Hume after she passed away on Thursday following a short illness.
Her death comes just over a year after that of her husband John, the former SDLP leader who received the Nobel Prize for his instrumental role in the Peace Process.
Mrs Hume passed away peacefully at her home in Derry surrounded by her family, according to a statement from the Hume Foundation, who described her as John's "backbone and his trusted advisor".
She ran her husband's constituency office from the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, throughout the Troubles and the ensuing Good Friday Agreement until his retirement.
While John served as MP for Foyle between 1983 and 2005, Pat was a point of contact on the ground to whom many of the families of Derry went for help and support.
Pat Hume played an enourmous role in achieving peace in Northern Ireland. All of us who were blessed by the way she lived her life & advanced her cause with such grace, courage & good humor will be forever grateful. My condolences to her family and the people of Northern Ireland.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) September 3, 2021
Former President Bill Clinton, who worked alongside John Hume during the Peace Process, said: "All of us who were blessed by the way she lived her life & advanced her cause with such grace, courage & good humor will be forever grateful."
Meanwhile wife and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton described Mrs Hume as "a gracious, determined force behind the achievement of peace in Ireland".
Current SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said that Mrs Hume was integral to the Peace Process.
Pat Hume was a gracious, determined force behind the achievement of peace in Ireland. She and her husband John both made the world a better place and set an example for us all. Sending my condolences to her family. https://t.co/cAC9IYrobq
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 2, 2021
"Without Pat Hume, there would have been no peace process in Ireland, that's the simple truth," he said.
"The compassion, integrity and immense fortitude that defined her incredible character breathed life into our peace over the course of a long campaign that, at times, must have looked like it would never bear fruit. She never gave up faith.
"Pat was, of course, John's guiding light. She was his constant companion, sharing the road and easing the burden in the most difficult of times.
"When they came under public pressure and attacks on their home for doing what they knew was right, she remained his rock.
Pat Hume was an inspiration to so many.
She was dedicated to peace, and alongside her beloved husband John, devoted her life to that cause.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the Hume family, and all those who knew Pat. https://t.co/RaAC6z5b1g
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 2, 2021
"The scale of his achievement was made possible by the depth of her love. But she was, in her own right, a fierce champion for peace and justice."
President of Ireland Michael D Higgins also praised Mrs Hume's personal contribution to the Peace Process.
"While her support of the work of her late husband and Nobel Prize recipient, John Hume, was an exercise in solidarity, a partnership in courage, endurance and fortitude, her personal contribution was unique, immense and important in its own right," he said.
Very sorry to hear Pat Hume has passed away - an absolute lady, warm & friendly, always encouraging. Her dedication to peace was total as was her dedication to John esp. in his latter years, when we often saw them in Greencastle. Thoughts with the Hume family and SDLP colleagues.
— Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) September 2, 2021
"Pat's personal contribution as teacher, a mother in conditions of conflict, political adviser, constituency secretary and consoler of the victims of oppression from so many sources, was extraordinary in every sense."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin echoed the President's sentiments, saying Mrs Hume was her husband's "trusted adviser".
"Pat and John worked side by side for decades," he said.
God rest #PatHume, who gently guided the hand of #peace over many years - Derry’s “First Lady” and a friend to all who suffered during troubled times. We owe you and John a great debt of gratitude. @derryjournal pic.twitter.com/22KGHKUc8O
— Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) September 2, 2021
"She was his trusted adviser at key political moments and his anchor in their beloved Derry.
"I want to recognise the tremendous contribution Pat made in their life's work for peace and stability on this island and her resilience and courage on the path to peaceful change."
Funeral details will be announced in due course.
Mrs Hume is survived by her children Aine, Therese, Aidan, John and Mo.
My deepest sympathies to the Hume family on the death of Pat Hume. A unique life well lived and no one who met John left the conversation without knowing Pat. A lovely lady. pic.twitter.com/kWlpVnhgz7
— Jeffrey Donaldson MP (@J_Donaldson_MP) September 2, 2021
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