Page "Nancy Reagan" Paragraph 15

Observers described Ronald and Nancy Reagan's relationship as intimate.

As President and First Lady, the Reagans were reported to display their affection frequently, with one press secretary noting, " They never took each other for granted.

They never stopped courting.

" Ronald often called Nancy " Mommy "; she called him " Ronnie ".

While the President was recuperating in the hospital after the 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy Reagan wrote in her diary, " Nothing can happen to my Ronnie.

My life would be over.

" In a letter to Nancy, Ronald wrote, " whatever I treasure and enjoy ... all would be without meaning if I didn ’ t have you.

" In 1998, while her husband was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, Nancy told Vanity Fair, " Our relationship is very special.

We were very much in love and still are.

When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it's true.

It did.

I can't imagine life without him.

" Nancy was known for the focused and attentive look, termed " the Gaze ", that she fastened upon her husband during his speeches and appearances.

President Reagan's death in June 2004 ended what Charlton Heston called " the greatest love affair in the history of the American Presidency.