Martina McBride shares moving tribute to her 'complex and amazing' late mother
Martina McBride is mourning the loss of her mother, Jeanne Schiff, who died on Friday after recent emergency heart surgery.
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, the country singer, 53, wrote about the qualities she admired in Schiff and what made their bond so strong.
"She was a complex and amazing woman. Strong. Chic. No-nonsense. Hilarious. Witty," McBride described. "She had the prettiest hair and skin and hands...I loved her hands. She took good care of us."
She explained what their home life was like growing up and the work ethic her mother instilled in her and her siblings.
"Our house was always the house where all the aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered, and she was really the reason for that," the singer wrote. "She made her 4 kids self sufficient, told us to go outside and play, gave us chores to do and taught us how to work."
"She wasn’t one to smother you with affection, do your homework for you, or attend every ballgame, but we always knew she was there for us," she added.
"As we all got older we had many conversations about life, faith, morals, health, and the importance of getting your beauty sleep. She’d start every phone call or message with 'Martina. This is your mother'. She loved to laugh and to tell stories to get a laugh. And even though she told me in the hospital that she wasn’t “an enthusiastic cook” she made the best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted."
The singer also detailed her final days with her mother.
"I spent the last week with her in ICU, with my dad, my brothers, and my sister, and a fantastic and caring team of doctors who went above and beyond to try and get her to a place where her heart would sustain her."
In a tweet earlier Friday, the singer said her mother was undergoing emergency heart surgery and asked fans for prayers.
McBride said that during her time with her mother in the hospital, she "held her hand, rubbed her shoulders, stroked her face, told her I loved her and she told me she loved me."
"Even though I wish it had ended differently I wouldn’t have traded that time with her for anything," McBride added. "So now we try and move forward without our matriarch. And somehow, in time, we will. Because she taught us how to be strong. I love you Mom."
