Hillary Clinton Mourns the Death of Her Childhood Friend Betsy Ebeling

Former First Lady Hillary Clinton is currently mourning the death of a woman who was her best friend. Her childhood friend sadly passed away on Sunday.

Hillary Clinton, 71, grew up with Betsy Ebeling in Park Ridge and remained friends throughout the years. Sadly, Ebeling passed away at the age of 72 after battling breast cancer for years.

On Monday, Clinton took to Twitter to mourn her friend. She captioned an article about her friend writing: “A lovely tribute that captures what made Betsy Ebeling, my dear friend, so special to so many of us. She was our north star.”

According to her son, Colin Ebeling, the Arlington Heights resident “didn’t have any acquaintances.” Speaking on Monday night he added: “Everyone who knew her was her friend, and they could always count on her to be welcoming, loyal, nurturing and kind.”

Colin confessed that his late mother “was the most deeply loving mother on Earth” to him and his sisters. Clinton met Ebeling in sixth grade at Eugene Field School in Park Ridge and their friendship was cemented forever.

The former first lady confessed in a statement that they struggled through life’s "ups and downs” together. Her friend continuously shared her “loving support and wise advice every step of the way.”

Clinton recalled how Ebeling “had a real gift for friendship” adding that she missed her daily. The politician’s best friend was born on April 30, 1947, in Chicago.

When the two girls met for the first time, Ebeling was new in the class while Clinton served as “the captain of the Patrol Girls." The meeting was so precious that Clinton never forgot the moment she led Ebeling “through the halls of our high school because she didn’t like her thick glasses.”

In 1965, Clinton and her friend graduated from Maine South High School. Ebeling then received her undergraduate degree from Albion College and a master’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University.

She married Tom Ebeling in 1971. Clinton’s friend worked as a Spanish teacher but later found employment with the Democratic National Convention, the American Bar Association, and the state Department of Human Rights.

Throughout the years, Ebeling has worked on a range of programs like gay rights legislation or sexual harassment prevention in higher education. Her final days were spent at a cabin by the lakeshore in Indiana with family and friends.

Governor J.B. Pritzker tweeted about Ebeling saying she had "dedicated her career to advancing human rights here in Illinois and fighting for a better future for people across our nation.” He shared his love for her and revealed that he was “heartbroken to lose my friend.”

In her final moments, Ebeling asked to talk to Clinton one more time even though she’d already heard from her. She’s survived by her husband, son, daughters Haley and Corrine, and six grandchildren.

On July 26, 2016, on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Ebeling was the delegate from Illinois who had the task to announce the vote totals for Clinton. She emotionally revealed that her best friend had received 98 delegate votes from Illinois.

Ebeling, who had worked hard to get her friend votes, then looked to the sky and smiled. Many people have taken to social media to mourn her death.