WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said he once had the opportunity to meet with former first lady Nancy Reagan, and she could not have been more charming and gracious to him and Michelle Obama when he entered office.
The president spoke about the former first lady Monday after meeting with financial regulators and advisers.
Earlier in the day, he had ordered flags on federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in her memory.
Obama said it is well-documented the extraordinary love that she had for former President Ronald Reagan and the comfort and strength she provided him in hard times.
Obama said he has been lucky to have an extraordinary partner in his life as well. He knows how much she meant to the president and country as a whole.
“He was lucky to have her, and I’m sure he would be the first to acknowledge that, so she will be missed,” Obama said.
The funeral for Reagan will be held Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced Monday that Nancy Reagan will lie in repose for public visitation from 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
The funeral starts at 11 a.m. Friday and will be closed to the public. Nancy Reagan will be buried next to her husband at the library. Details on who will attend the funeral were not released.
The White House said Monday that first lady Michelle Obama will be attending the funeral.
Reagan died of congestive heart failure Sunday at her Los Angeles home. She was 94.
Ronald Reagan, the nation’s 40th president, died on June 5, 2004, at age 93.His remains were flown to Washington, D.C., to lie in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol and then a service at the Washington National Cathedral. His casket was then flown back to California.
After the service, a tearful Nancy Reagan kissed and stroked her husband’s coffin while clutching an American flag. “I love you,” she said quietly.
