Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden
1917-2010
Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden has died at age 92 in Wilmington, Delaware on Friday, January 8, 2010, after falling seriously ill in recent days. Known as Jean Biden, she was the mother of Vice President Joseph Biden Jr.
Catherine Finnegan was born July 7, 1917 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She married businessman Joseph Biden Sr., in 1941. They raised four children, moving from Scranton to Claymont, Delaware in 1953, when Joe Biden was 10-years-old. Joe Sr. died in 2002. Jean Biden has been in declining health since suffering a broken hip in March 2009.
According to Joe Biden, his mother was raised in a strong Irish Catholic tradition and passed it on to her own children. Speaking for his family, he said, “We learned the dignity of hard work and that you are defined by your sense of honor. Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us.”
Jean is survived by daughter Valerie Biden Owens, and sons Joseph Biden, James Brian Biden and Francis W. Biden. In addition there are 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
See Joe and his mother in photos below.