The wife of President Shimon Peres, Sonia Peres, died on Thursday at the age of 87 at her northern Tel Aviv home.
Peres is survived by her husband and their three children Tzvia, Yonatan, and Hemi.
Dr. Rafi Valdan, Peres’ son-in-law, told Israel Radio that she was found lifeless in her home on Thursday morning when her grandchild came to visit her.
Valdan said that Peres was "all nobility and devotion. The family was very close to her, we would see her almost every day," said Valdan.
The president arrived at the Peres family home Thursday afternoon. The presidential residence publicity adviser announced that the family is currently in deep mourning, and will issue another release soon.
Born in the Ukraine in 1923, Peres made Aliyah to Israel with her family at the age of four. They moved to the Israel youth village of Ben Shemen where she met her husband.
During World War Two, Peres volunteered to serve in the British army and fight against the Germans. When she returned to Israel after the war in 1945, she and the future president were wed.
The couple was married for 67 years.
Sonia Peres rarely appeared in the public eye, preferring to play a backstage role in her husband’s six-decade political career.
In fact, Peres opted to stay in their Tel Aviv home when her husband moved into the presidential residence in Jerusalem in 2007. The two lived separately until her death.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that "Sonia Peres was a very special woman and human being. She was the epitome of modesty, simplicity and loving kindness. Throughout the years she stayed out of the limelight and maintained her privacy, working tirelessly on behalf of those in need. All who knew her adored and admired her. May her memory be blessed."