Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie announces the death of his wife, Rhonda Massie

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Rhonda Massie, the spouse of U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, has died, the Kentucky congressman introduced Friday in a transferring social media tribute to his highschool sweetheart and the “love of my life.”

No particulars about the reason for dying or her age have been instantly supplied by Massie or his employees.

“Yesterday my highschool sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mom of our 4 youngsters, the neatest kindest girl I ever knew, my stunning and sensible queen perpetually, Rhonda went to Heaven,” Massie wrote on the social platform X.

His social media posts featured photographs displaying the couple and their household. The congressman mentioned the couple hung out with their grandson final week whereas touring Mount Rainier in Washington.

Massie wrote about his spouse’s tutorial achievements and devotion to her household.

“She was valedictorian at our highschool the place we went to the Promenade collectively, accepted at MIT and Harvard, earned a Mechanical Engineering diploma from MIT, and devoted her life to our household,” he wrote.

The MIT-educated Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican first elected to Congress in 2012, simply defeated two GOP challengers in Kentucky’s Could main. With no Democratic opponent within the fall, Massie’s main victory cleared his approach to declare one other time period in November. His district stretches throughout northern Kentucky.

His spouse’s dying introduced an outpouring of condolences from Kentucky and past.

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., mentioned in a social media publish that he was “deeply saddened” to listen to of Rhonda Massie’s dying. Barr suffered an analogous tragedy 4 years in the past when his spouse, Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr, died. She was 39.

“Rhonda’s heat, kindness, and dedication to her household and group touched everybody who had the privilege of figuring out her,” Barr wrote Friday.

Kentucky state Sen. John Schickel mentioned his “coronary heart breaks” for the congressman and the couple’s youngsters.

“Rhonda was a incredible human being, and her loving marriage with Congressman Massie was among the many most stunning you can think about,” Schickel mentioned. “They have been highschool sweethearts and school classmates. It was a real love story.”

The Republican Occasion of Kentucky mentioned in an announcement that Rhonda Massie was “an incredible mom, spouse, and Kentuckian. She touched all who knew her and will probably be deeply missed.”