Vice President Biden's mother dies

Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Biden, the mother of Vice President Joe Biden, died Friday at the family's home in Wilmington.

Jean "passed away peacefully," with her family at her bedside, the vice president said this afternoon.

"At 92, she was the center of our family and taught all of her children that family is to be treasured, loyalty is paramount and faith will guide you through the tough times," the Bidens said in a statement. "She believed in us, and because of that, we believed in ourselves."

"Together with my father, her husband of 61 years who passed away in 2002, we learned the dignity of hard work and that you are defined by your sense of honor," they continued. "Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us.”  

Both Biden and his wife, Jill, returned to Wilmington earlier this week upon learning the vice president's mother was "seriously ill."

The family did not release additional details at that time. Previously, Biden's mom had been hospitalized in March after falling.  

The vice president said his family would announce services for his mother in the coming days. The family also requested those wishing to express sympathies to contribute in Jean's memory to the Ministry of Caring, a hospice in Wilmington, or the Naomi Christina Biden Minority Scholarship Fund at Archmere Academy, in Claymont.