JUST DISCLOSED: The father of First Lady Michelle Obama (pictured above with family) was one of those souls buried at Burr Oak Cemetery, now scene of a national scandal.
The First Lady's White House office has confirmed that Fraser Robinson III, was buried in the Chicago-suburban cemetery where cemetery workers are now accused of digging up the dead and reselling their burial plots. There were no further comments from her office. It is not known, yet, if his remains were disturbed, as one of the 300 bodies which have been dug up and discarded in a mass grave, according to investigators.
(Just five minutes ago, moments after posting this article, CNN live announced that the White House has just retracted its confirmation that Fraser Robinson III was buried at Burr Oak Cemetery. However, no specifics, no other information is available. Who made the error? Surely the First Lady's press secretary would not confirm without checking with the First Lady Michelle Obama or, perhaps, her mother Marian Robinson. So, what happened? It makes it appear that they don't know where Robinson was buried. We at Ethic Soup have decided not to remove the post. It's an interesting story in itself that the White House made the error -- kind of like a metaphor for the Burr Oak tragic mess -- of where the President's father-in-law is buried. And second, since Robinson died in 1991, it's nice to provide a little information about the man who raised the First Lady and was her "rock.")
FRASER ROBINSON III
Fraser Robinson certainly was not famous during his lifetime. Born in 1935 in Chicago, he was raised there and married Marian Shields, who was also born in Chicago. Together they raised two children, Craig and Michelle LaVaughn, on the southside.
The family lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a bungalow, rented from Marian's aunt, reports Chicago Magazine. Michelle's father worked swing shifts for the City of Chicago, tending the boilers and pumps at a water-filtration plant, where he eventually became foreman.
He became progressively disabled by multiple sclerosis, walking with two canes and later used a motorized cart.(See: Life in spite of ms) "He was my rock," Michelle is quoted as saying.
Fraser died in 1991, at the age of 56. His wife, Marian Robinson, now lives with her daughter, the President of the United States and her granddaughters in the White House.
Others who were buried at Burr Oak included numerous blues and jazz musicians, Negro League baseball players, champion boxer and many, many just plain folks.
TO READ: "BURR OAK CEMETERY: MAMA WHERE ARE YOU, THEY'VE ROBBED YOUR GRAVE," CLICK HERE.
TO READ: "WHERE IS EMMETT TILLS COFFIN & WHERE ARE THE BABYLAND GRAVES?" CLICK HERE.
TO READ "EMMETT TILL CAN FINALLY REST IN PEACE: COFFIN SAVED FOREVER IN SMITHSONIAN" CLICK HERE.
By Sharon McEachern
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