Republican Rep. Thomas Massie announced that his wife Rhonda has died in a heartbreaking social media post.
The Kentucky lawmaker announced Friday morning that the mother of his four children and partner of 35 years had died.
A cause of death was not immediately known as tributes from his colleagues poured in. Rhonda was 51.
“Yesterday my high school sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mother of our 4 children, the smartest and kindest woman I have ever known, my beautiful and wise queen forever, Rhonda, went to heaven,” Massie wrote on social media.
“Thank you for your prayers for our family during this difficult time.”
Ron DeSantis, a friend of Massie’s, tweeted: “Casey and I are deeply saddened by your loss. Our prayers are with you and your family.”
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rhonda Massie, the beloved wife of my friend and colleague Thomas Massie. Rhonda’s warmth, kindness and dedication to her family and community touched all who had the privilege of knowing her,” said Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, another Republican.
Barr lost his own wife in 2020, just before her 40th birthday.
More to follow
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has announced that his wife Rhonda has died in a heartbreaking social media post
The Kentucky lawmaker announced Friday morning that the mother of his four children and partner of 35 years had died
Yesterday my high school sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mother of our four children, the smartest woman I have ever known, my beautiful and wise queen forever, Rhonda went to heaven,” Massie wrote on social media.
Massie and his wife Rhonda, who both attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have an “off the grid” home in Kentucky, where they use electricity from their own solar panels and water from their well, raise livestock and grow their own fruits and vegetables renovate.
“She was the star of our high school, where we went to prom together, was accepted into MIT and Harvard, earned a mechanical engineering degree from MIT and devoted her life to our family,” Massie said of his wife.
Just last week, they had toured Mount Rainier, Washington, with their family, he said.
Massie and his wife visited Mt. Rainier last week