Bonny Jean Jacobs was the mother of Senator Joe Biden's wife Jill Biden. Biden canceled his campaign events on Sunday, October 5, 2008, because Mrs. Jacobs, who was in a hospice, was seriously ill.CNN: Biden Cancels Events As Mother-In- Law Battles Illness (October 5, 2008)
In the late afternoon of October 5, 2008, CNN reported that Jacobs died at the age of 78.The Caucus (NYT): Biden's Mother in Law Dies (October 5, 2008) Senator Biden canceled his campaigning events for Monday, October 6, and Tuesday October 7, to be with his wife and family.FOXNews.com: Biden's Mother in Law's Death Pulls... (October 5, 2008)