Martina McBride's mother, Jeanne Schiff, passed away on Friday (Jan. 10) after undergoing emergency heart surgery.
"My mom passed away this morning," McBride wrote on social media. "She was a complex and amazing woman. Strong. Chic. No-nonsense. Hilarious. Witty. She had the prettiest hair and skin and hands...I loved her hands. She took good care of us. Our house was always the house where all the aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered, and she was really the reason for that. She made her 4 kids self sufficient, told us to go outside and play, gave us chores to do and taught us how to work. She wasn't one to smother you with affection, do your homework for you, or attend every ballgame, but we always knew she was there for us."
In her moving tribute, McBride shared some of the things her mother taught her.
"As we all got older we had many conversations about life, faith, morals, health, and the importance of getting your beauty sleep," McBride wrote. "She'd start every phone call or message with 'Martina. This is your mother.' She loved to laugh and to tell stories to get a laugh. And even though she told me in the hospital that she wasn't 'an enthusiastic cook' she made the best fried chicken I've ever tasted."
Early on Friday morning (Jan. 10), McBride took to social media to request prayers for her mother, calling her "a fighter and one of the strongest women I know."
"I spent the last week with her in ICU, with my dad, my brothers, and my sister, and a fantastic and caring team of doctors who went above and beyond to try and get her to a place where her heart would sustain her. During that week I held her hand, rubbed her shoulders, stroked her face, told her I loved her and she told me she loved me. Even though I wish it had ended differently I wouldn't have traded that time with her for anything. So now we try and move forward without our matriarch. And somehow, in time, we will. Because she taught us how to be strong. I love you Mom."
While growing up in Kansas, McBride got her start performing with her father Daryl Schiff's family band, The Schiffters. McBride's parents also owned a dairy farm in Kansas.
Many of McBride's peers, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Pam Tillis, Brandi Carlile and more, reached out to the country singer to share their condolences.
"What a beautiful tribute to your extraordinary mom," Faith Hill wrote. "She raised one hell of a daughter, that's for sure."
