Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised the late First Lady Sonia Peres Thursday as setting an example of modesty for the country.

Netanyahu told President Shimon Peres in a phone call to express his condolences, “In her quiet and modest life, Sonia represented good-heartedness, and became a symbol, setting an example of modesty and love of man.”

The First Lady's son-in-law and physician, Dr. Raphael Walden told Voice of Israel government radio that Mrs. Peres was “all nobility and devotion. The family was very close to her, we would see her almost every day.”

Dr. Walden told listeners that Mrs. Peres passed away peacefully while sleeping.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak also praised the First Lady, telling reporters she was a “very special woman and human being. She was the epitome of modesty, simplicity and loving kindness.”

Barak noted that through the years, Mrs. Peres had remained away from the media cameras. Instead, he said, she “maintained her privacy, working tirelessly on behalf of those in need. All who knew her adored and admired her,” he said. “May her memory be for a blessing.”