Rev. Russell J. Levenson, Jr. Shares a Moving Last Chapter of the Life of George and Barbara Bush from his book, “Witness to Dignity”
Publish by Greenwich Sentinel on October 18, 2024
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By Anne W. Semmes
"Last Sunday nearly 200 attendees filled the Parish Hall at Christ Church for a talk by recently retired Reverend Russell “Russ” Levenson, Jr. on his book, “Witness to Dignity – The Life and Faith of George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush.” Seeing as George H.W. Bush had grown up in Greenwich with his family as members of Christ Church, it was a revelatory sharing of the last decade of the Bushes life as lived in Houston, Texas.
In 2007, Rev. Levenson was called from his Christ Church in Pensacola, Florida to serve at this country’s largest Episcopal Parish, St. Martin’s Church in Houston. “I had never had the President in my church,” and on that first Sunday, he heard, “He’s here!” Also learned of their 50-plus years of St. Martin’s membership, “They came to church every single Sunday of their lives unless they were traveling… And when they couldn’t come to church, we would take church to them.” During Levenson’s 11 years of ministry and friendship he experienced “two people who showed us how to live with dignity, how to serve with dignity, how to age with dignity, and in the end how to die with dignity. They were very faithful in their belief in our Lord.”
But Levenson added, not without humor, “Let me be real clear, they were not perfect. The only one that gets to wear that label is the one we worship every week… So, we’re increasingly sanctified by the Holy Spirit as we get closer to the end of our lives…as incarnated in George and Barbara as they grew softer, sweeter, kinder and gentler the older they got.”
With the friendship growing over the years with Levenson’s family and the Bush family, he noted, “I never called her anything but Barbara.” And “He never told me not to call him Mr. President.” Then addressing the “nasty” political season “through which we’re living,” he added, “I never once saw that in George and Barbara Bush.”
Spelling that out Levenson shared a scene occurring before his rectorship involving the Vice President Bush soon-to-be elected President in 1988. “He was in Houston because the election was coming up…He had put in a call to then rector Claude Payne. ‘Claude, I have a favor to ask. We feel very good about our election prospects next Tuesday. My favor is that you plan a special service early on Wednesday for our family and friends at St. Martins…a prayer service in thanksgiving for our nation…regardless of the outcome.’” Levenson paused, adding “Where are those leaders? Those are who we need to be praying for.”
There were numerous and often humorous stories of Levenson family visits to the Bushes in their Kennebunkport home in Maine. One invite was, “Bring the kids” – and friends! A son had brought a girlfriend not exactly in favor. So, “Let’s give her a chance,” told Levenson. “So, we get to this cocktail hour with the girl and within five minutes she’s having a disagreement with Barbara…I cannot believe this is happening.” The next dinner night, “Dinner finishes up rather early, interestingly enough.” Returned to their guest house, the evening would end with Barbara arriving “dressed in her nightgown, robe and slippers. As she stood in front of both of us, she bent over and said, “Now what are you going to do about the girl?”
So “What are we going to do about the girl!?” they responded. “And Barbara gives us this great lesson, ‘You can’t say anything. You’ve just got to let her see who you all are. She’ll figure it out and if you say anything, it’s going to backfire.”
“About two weeks later, she wrote us a note in which she apologized for even bringing it up…That’s the way in which our relationship went in many ways.”
“Barbara was not confirmed until a few years before her death,” he continued. “We were sitting together after communion,” and she shared, “I think I need you to get me confirmed… Do I have to take a class?” “We talked and we prayed…. And we did it in a private service in the chapel. But that was a sweet moment – the President was in tears.”
Rev. Levenson would be with both Barbara and George at the end of their lives. “So, Barbara died before the President…And it was a surprise because he had wrestled and battled with Parkinsonian syndrome for several years, which took away his ability to walk.” The Reverend was invited to the Bush house, “because they thought Barbara was about to die…And the President said, ‘I want you to go up and see her.’”
Levenson entered Barbara’s room. “And she goes, ‘Honest to God, I’m not checking out yet.’ We prayed together. I kissed her on the forehead and said good night.” Leaving the room, he was called back. “Barbara are you okay?… “Yes,” she answered, “Just tell him I adore him.”
Barbara would live another day. “So, she spent the day not talking about her death, just checking on people.” With husband and wife alone…he looks at the bar and says, ‘I’m going to be okay.’ And she says, ‘I am too.’ Then he says, ‘Good, let’s have a drink.’ So, his favorite was the vodka martini. Hers was an old-fashioned and they had a drink together.”
The next morning as she was “growing to complete unconsciousness,” Levenson was called to the house, and read to her from the book of Psalms. “She loved to read.” But later he found “Little Women” that he read to her. “Her last word was ‘home.’”
“On that particular day,” he told, “the power went out that morning. They had batteries for oxygen and things like that… And I’m waiting on the local power company to set things right. The President was with her all day…holding her hand,” saying “Bar, I love you. I love you Bar’ with such passion and tenderness that it was palpable. At one point when he and she and I were together alone, he looked at me and gently smiled, pointed at her and then pointed toward heaven.”
“This was one of the few moments where the demonstrable presence of God was as real to me as the pages of this book that you are now holding.…And at that moment Bar’s physician said, ‘She’s gone to heaven, Mr. President.’ And at that very moment, the power came back.”
Levenson was called back into that room by the President’s grandson Pierce. His granddad wanted the Reverend to “pray with him.” “I knelt in front of the President and by Bar’s body and placed their hands together, his on top of hers, and I put my hand around both of theirs together and I gave thanks for her life. I prayed that God would welcome one of his own.”
Levenson prayed, “that God would comfort the President,” and he thanked God “for the love of witness of these two in this wonderful family.” When he finished, he and the President were both in tears. “But while I was still on my knees, I took his face in my hands and I said, ‘Mr. President, she is at peace now. She is in heaven. She is with her parents and your parents and she’s with your dear Robin. And you will see her again. And you sir will be okay – we will take care of you. We love you.
“I kissed him on the cheek, and I stepped out of the room. It was up to that moment, the most intense moment in my ordained ministry. God was real and present and there in that moment. And Barbara was home.”
Rev. Russell “Russ” Levenson shared his book “Witness to Dignity” at the Christ Church Greenwich Sunday Forum. Photo by Anne W. Semmes.
Retired Rector of St. Martin’s Church, Houston, Texas, Rev. Russell “Russ” Levenson, Jr. shared with members of Christ Church Greenwich his friendship with and appreciation of his late parishioners George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush. Photo by Anne W. Semmes.
George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush and their five children in their early years, circa 1965, leaving Sunday services at St. Martin’s Church in Houston, Texas. Photo of slide by Anne W. Semmes."
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