First Lady Nancy Reagan, compassionate wife of President Ronald Reagan, died Sunday at the age of 94. She apparently passed away due to congestive heart failure.

She met Ronald Reagan in Hollywood while he was president of the Screen Actor’s Guild. Together they acted in various movies and films. When Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California, she wholeheartedly supported him. She would show that same support when he successfully ran for President. She maintained a strong influence on the White House. Douglas Brinkley, CNN historian, explained saying, “They had a codependent marriage that became a codependent presidency.”

First Lady Reagan will always be remembered as one of the most influential First Ladies. She controlled the President’s schedule, the people he met, and no doubt had an influence on his thoughts and ideas. After the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, she started to oversee all the president’s security. The program, Just Say No [to drugs], helped children learn about the dangers of drugs using one simple expression.

In the later years of her life, Nancy Reagan took care of her husband, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. During and after his death, she advocated for a cure of Alzheimer’s and supported foundations which help families cope with Alzheimer’s. After Ronald Reagan’s death in 2004, Nancy visited his grave almost every day for ten or fifteen minutes.

Nancy can be described as dedicated, compassionate, understanding, and altruistic. Nancy Reagan is survived by Patti Davis, Ron Reagan and Michael Reagan.