John McCain's 106-year-old mother to attend Washington memorial service, Annapolis burial

"(She) was raised to be a strong, determined woman who thoroughly enjoyed life, and always tried to make the most of her opportunities," McCain wrote of his mother. "She was encouraged to accept, graciously and with good humor, the responsibilities and sacrifices her choices have required of her. I am grateful to her for the strengths she taught me by example."

Roberta McCain often traveled with her son on the campaign trail during his 2008 presidential bid. She was in her mid-90s at the time.

When McCain's plane was shot down during the Vietnam War, his mother was initially told that her son had likely died in the crash. She later found out that McCain was being held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, which she described in interviews as "good news" given the alternative.

According to a story in the Arizona Republic, Roberta McCain was as strong-willed as her son. When she was told in Paris in 2006 that she was too old to rent a car because she was in her 90s, she simply bought one instead.