Wife of Israeli President Peres dead at 87

[News_Editor]

Wife of Israeli President Peres dead at 87

2011-01-21 04:04:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- Sonia Peres, the wife of Israeli President Shimon Peres, on Thursday night died during her sleep at 87 years old, the Jerusalem Post reported.

She was found dead by one of her grandchildren in her bed in her Tel Aviv residence, according to her son-in-law Professor Rafi Walden, deputy director general at Sheba Medical Center.

"She was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother, a noble woman who was devoted to her family, none of whom had yet internalized what it meant to lose her," said Walden.

Sonia Peres, or Sonia Gal as she preferred to be called in recent years, usually avoided been under public scrutiny. She rarely discussed her private life in public.

"In her quiet and modest life, Sonia represented good-heartedness and turned into a symbol and example of modesty and love of man," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

PM Netanyahu called President Peres and expressed his condolences. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Sonia Peres was the "epitome of modesty, simplicity and loving kindness."

Sonia was adamantly opposed to her husband becoming president. Furthermore, she did not attend Shimon's inauguration at the Knesset and did not change her mind even after he referred to her in his inaugural speech as the love of his life.

Sonia and Shimon met when both were teenage students at Ben Shemen Youth Village and got married in May, 1945. They had three children, Zvia, Yonatan and Chemi.

"She was noble woman in the full sense of the word, who quietly took part in volunteer work that will become known only now," said Former Labor Party director general and minister Uzi Baram, a long time friend of Sonia and Shimon.

The funeral for Sonia Peres will be held on Friday at 11:00 a.m. local time at the Ben Shemen Youth Village cemetery.

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