Jean Rather, wife of former longtime CBS news anchor Dan Rather, dies at 89

Jean Rather, the wife of former longtime CBS News anchor Dan Rather, died Tuesday at age 89, her family said.

Rather died in Austin, Texas, surrounded by family and friends after a battle with cancer, her family said in a statement.

“Jean was a steadfast counselor through every storm and a true Texan of courage,” her family said. “She was also the kind of woman who could meet presidents, kings and queens, draft dodgers, criminals and corporate recruits every day with equal ease and a dazzling smile.”

Born Jean Goebel in Smithville, Texas, a small town southeast of Austin, Jean was one of three sisters. She went to work right after graduating from high school.

Jean and Dan met at a radio station in Houston and were married for 67 years.

Her family described her as an accomplished artist whose paintings have been featured in galleries and private collections throughout the United States

She served as vice chair of the New York City Art Commission for eight years. She also served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the University of Texas Press and the Harry Ransom Center.

93-year-old Dan Rather spent 44 years at CBS Newsas bureau chief, war correspondent, foreign correspondent and White House correspondent.

He succeeded Walter Cronkite as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in 1981 and served as chairman for 24 years before leaving the post in 2005.

In 1963 he was reported on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy from Dallas. In an interview last year reflecting on his career, he recounted a conversation he had with Jean at the time.

“I didn’t take time to grieve,” Rather said. “Because I told myself it was my professional responsibility. I remember calling my wife Jean, who was in Houston at the time of the attack, and she warned me, ‘Dan, sooner or later you’re going to make it.’ Space for your own feelings.’”

In addition to her husband, Jean is survived by her son and daughter, Danjack and Robin, as well as her grandchildren, Martin and Andy, and several members of her extended family.

Her family described her as “a great mother and grandmother who attended every game, cheered on every victory, put Band-Aids on every scraped knee and served as a confidant and friend to all her family members.”

Lee Cowan contributed to this report.