Overview
- Her son J.D. Granger and House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed her death late Sunday, and leaders from both parties issued tributes to her decades of public service.
- Granger served Texas’s 12th District from 1997 through January 2025 after four years as Fort Worth’s first woman mayor and she was the first Republican woman from Texas to chair the House Appropriations Committee.
- As Appropriations chair in 2023–24 she influenced federal spending on defense and local projects, including support tied to F‑35 production in North Texas.
- Her final year in office was marked by worsening health: she stopped casting roll-call votes after July 2024, moved into an independent/assisted living facility, and her family disclosed dementia in late 2024.
- Reports differ on a medical cause of death, with some outlets citing her son saying it was related to Alzheimer’s while others note no official cause has yet been released, a split that highlights questions about transparency for incapacitated lawmakers.