Amalija Knavs | |
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| Born | Amalija Ulčnik (1945-07-09)July 9, 1945 |
| Died | January 9, 2024(2024-01-09) (aged 78) |
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| Children | 2, includingMelania |
| Relatives | Barron Trump (grandson) |
Amalija Knavs (née Ulčnik; July 9, 1945 – January 9, 2024) was a Slovenian and American textile worker who was the mother ofMelania Trump, theFirst Lady of the United States.[1][2]
Amalija Ulčnik was born on July 9, 1945, inJudendorf-Straßengel,Allied-occupied Austria. She was raised there and inSlovenia, which was at the time part ofYugoslavia. Her mother, Amalija (née Gliha), was aseamstress and farmer and her father, Anton Ulčnik, was a cobbler and later a red-onion farmer.[1]
In her youth, she worked on her family's onion farm. From 1964 to 1997, she worked at a state-owned children's clothing factory where she created and monitored textile patterns.[1]
Ulčnik met her husband, Viktor Knavs, a member of theLeague of Communists of Slovenia inSevnica in 1966.[3] After marrying, they lived in Sevnica, Slovenia.[4] The couple had two daughters: Ines (b. 1968) andMelanija (b. 1970).[4]
By August 2017, Amalija and her husband were living in New York City.[5] It was later confirmed that Melania sponsored theirgreen cards.[6] In May 2018, Amalija was in attendance for theWhite House Rose Garden ceremony which saw Melania launch herBe Best public awareness campaign.[7] In August 2018, Amalija and Viktor Knavs became U.S. citizens after taking an oath at a New York City courthouse.[6]The New York Times described her as not adhering in public to the "stereotypes of an American grandmother".[8]
On January 9, 2024, Knavs died at a hospital inMiami, Florida, at the age of 78.[9] She had been "very ill" since late 2023, with sources confirming toPeople that Melania skipped aMar-a-LagoNew Year's Eve party to attend to her bedside.[10]
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