BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Dora Jean Edwards, the mother of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, has died, the governor announced in a Friday morning statement.

The governor's office said she was 87.

“She was the matriarch of our family and, along with my late father Frank, the reason why I am the person I am today,” the governor's statement said. It also noted that she raised eight children, worked as a Charity Hospital nurse and “made the best red beans and rice.”

Edwards said his parents instilled in him a strong religious faith and the importance of public service.

“A devout Catholic, she taught us the value of Matthew 25 and that faith must be accompanied by works,” Edwards said. “Those lessons have been the basis for every decision I have made as governor.”

No announcement had been made as of midday Friday on funeral arrangements.