Pat Hume, wife of Nobel laureate and ‘guiding light’ John Hume, has died.
It is understood that she had been ill for some time and passed away on Thursday evening.
Democratic Party leader Collum Eastwood praised Mrs. Hume and said that without her «there would not have been a peace process in Ireland, that is the simple truth».
Pat Hume was a generous and resolute force behind the achievement of peace in Ireland. She and her husband John have made the world a better place and set an example for all of us. Send my condolences to her family. https://t.co/cAC9IYrobq
Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton)
September 2, 2021
Born in Derry, she married John in 1960 and they have five children. A teacher for 25 years, she left the profession to run her husband’s circle office and was a point of contact for many local families who went to her for help and support.
At her husband’s funeral in August 2020, Father Paul Farren paid tribute to Mrs. Hume, saying: «When the history of Ireland is written, if the name of Pat Hume were not next to the name of John, that history would be incomplete.»
The John and Pat Peace Foundation was launched in 2020 to honor their decades-long efforts “to make a positive difference in the lives of the people of Derry and Northern Ireland.”
More to track.