Woman who famously danced with Obamas at White House dies at age 113
Virginia McLaurin dies at 113: The award-winning centenarian gained national attention after she danced with Barack and Michelle Obama in 2016
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The centenarian who went viral for dancing with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in 2016 has died.
Virginia McLaurin, 113, who was well known in the Washington, D.C. service community, died on Monday, Nov. 14, according to a Facebook page that exists in McLaurin's name.
McLaurin had reportedly received hospice care a few days before her death, the Facebook post said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}OLDEST WWII VETERAN IN US DIES AT 112
"She lived an incredibly full life and appreciated all the love she received from people on this [Facebook] page and everywhere she went," the post went on.
Virginia McLaurin met President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House in February 2016. She was 106 years old at the time. (FOX 5 DC)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Facebook page manager of the "Virginia McLaurin’s Page" for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Barack Obama issued a statement on Twitter about McLaurin’s death.
"Rest in peace, Virginia. We know you’re up there dancing," the tweet reads.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The tweet is accompanied by a one-minute and 29-second video of McLaurin meeting the former president and first lady in the White House’s Blue Room on Feb. 18, 2016.
McLaurin, who was 106 years old at the time, ecstatically greeted the Obamas and danced while holding their hands, the video showed.
"I thought I would never live to get in the White House," McLaurin can be heard telling the Obamas in the video. "And I tell you, I am so happy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McLaurin went on to say that she was happy she was able to celebrate Black history.
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The moment between McLaurin and the Obamas was originally documented on the White House blog, which publicized the Black History Month reception days later.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Since being posted on Feb. 21, 2016, the video showing McLaurin dancing with the Obamas has been viewed 70 million times on "The Obama White House" Facebook page alone.
FOX 5 DC reports that McLaurin later became known as Washington, D.C.'s favorite centenarian after her exchange with the Obamas went viral.
McLaurin was awarded a President's Volunteer Service Award for Lifetime Achievement in March 2016 for the two and a half decades of "nearly daily service" she dedicated to "schoolchildren in the nation's capital," according to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
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Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, presented Virginia McLaurin, a senior corps volunteer, with the President's Volunteer Service Award for Lifetime Achievement in March 2016. (Corporation for National and Community Service)
The CNCS – also known as AmeriCorps – is an independent agency of the U.S. government that engages millions of American volunteers in various stipend-based work programs.
"Grandma Virginia has been making a powerful impact in her community and her service is truly an inspiration to us all," Wendy Spencer, CEO of the CNCS, said in a news release at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McLaurin volunteered 40 hours a week after she retired, according to her Facebook page.
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In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of outdoor activities McLaurin participated in, according to her Facebook page.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McLaurin was born on March 12, 1909, in South Carolina.
Virginia McLaurin received her historic volunteer award in advance of her 107th birthday, which happened on March 12, 2016. (Corporation for National and Community Service)
As a centenarian, McLaurin reportedly "had an extraordinary memory" and shared stories of her family's life as sharecroppers before they moved north during the Great Migration, McLaurin’s Facebook page reports.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McLaurin died at her home in Olney, Maryland, where she was reportedly surrounded by family and friends, according to WHUR, a licensed Washington, D.C. radio station.
A memorial fund has been started on GoFundMe to handle McLaurin’s funeral and burial arrangements.