Lady Bird Johnson passes away

Her marriage to a larger-than-life Texan thrust a shy, small-town girl named Lady Bird Johnson into the national spotlight. A love affair with the great outdoors kept her there.

And though nationally she was best known as the wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president, Mrs. Johnson was very much a figure in her own right. She mixed Southern graciousness with a quiet, cast-iron fortitude that not only won admirers but allowed her to steer a large business enterprise and help forge a national environmental movement.

The oldest living former first lady of the United States died at 4:18 p.m. Wednesday at her West Lake Hills home at 94. The cause of death was not immediately available. She was hospitalized at Seton Medical Center on June 21 with a low-grade fever and released a week later after a series of medical tests and visits from her two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Thousands will mourn her passing, especially in her beloved Central Texas, but even more will celebrate her rich legacy.

What a perfect picture of Lady Bird from her Wildlife Center. Every time I see a Bluebonnett or an Indian Paint Brush I think of her. Every one walking a Town Lake trail should take a moment to remember her.

Update: Tributes will last almost a week.

The tributes across Central Texas during the next few days begin with an opportunity for the public to sign one of several condolence books that will go to the Johnson family.

Two Austin landmarks bearing the former first lady's name, and that of her husband, will be prominent places of remembrance.

There will be a private, family Eucharist service at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Friday, followed by a ceremonial procession with armed forces escort to the LBJ Library on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Johnson will lie in repose there, providing another opportunity for the public to pay their respects beginning at 1:15 p.m. Friday.