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Jackie Bezos

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Jackie Bezos
Bezos c. 2015
Born
Jacklyn Gise

(1946-12-29)December 29, 1946
Washington, D.C., U.S.
DiedAugust 14, 2025(2025-08-14) (aged 78)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Other namesJacklyn Jorgensen
Organizations
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1963; div. 1965)​
​
(m. 1968)​
Children3, including Jeff and Mark
RelativesGeorge Strait (second cousin)

Jacklyn Bezos (née Gise, formerly Jorgensen; December 29, 1946 – August 14, 2025) was an American businesswoman. She was the mother of Jeff and Mark Bezos. She provided the initial investment to launch Amazon.com and was a philanthropist as co-founder and president of the Bezos Family Foundation.

Early life

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Jacklyn Bezos was born as Jacklyn Gise in Washington, D.C., on December 29, 1946,[1][2][3] to Lawrence Preston Gise, who worked at Sandia National Laboratories,[3] and Mattie Louise Strait Gise. She grew up in Bernalillo, New Mexico,[3] and attended high school in Albuquerque.[4] Country singer George Strait is a second cousin of hers.[5]

In high school, Jacklyn dated unicyclist Ted Jorgensen. She became pregnant in 1963 when Jorgensen was 18 and she was 16, shortly before they got married in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. They had a second ceremony in the United States on July 19 the same year.[3] Jacklyn gave birth to Jeff Bezos on January 12, 1964,[3] two weeks after her 17th birthday.[6] They named the child Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen at birth.[3][7] Her high school sought to block her from graduating, but later relented, after banning her from socializing with other students.[4][8]

Jacklyn's father paid for Jorgensen's school fees,[8][failed verification] as Jorgensen struggled financially[3] and drank alcohol to excess.[9] Jacklyn left Jorgensen to live with her parents, filing for divorce in June 1965 when Jeff was seventeen months old.[3]

Adult life

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After graduating from high school, Jacklyn worked as a secretary, earning $190 a month, and left her parents' home to rent an apartment, living with Jeff. She worked days and attended night school, taking Jeff to the classes.[4]

Jacklyn met Cuban refugee[4] Miguel Bezos at night school, later marrying him.[8] Miguel Bezos, with Jorgensen's support, adopted Jeff.[7] Jacklyn and Miguel Bezos relocated, bringing Jeff with them. They asked Jorgensen to discontinue contact, to which he agreed,[7] relinquishing custody.[10] The three moved to Houston, Texas.[8] Bezos gave birth to daughter Christina and then son Mark.[11]

Twenty years after starting, Bezos graduated from Saint Elizabeth University at the age of 40.[4]

In 1995, Jacklyn and Miguel loaned Jeff $245,573 (equivalent to $506,752 in 2024) to start Amazon.com,[12] giving them both 6% equity.[13] Later they relocated to Florida.[8]

Bezos was, along with her husband, a co-founder of,[14] and a major donor to, the Bezos Family Foundation.[15] Through the foundation, they donated $710.5 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.[16] For more than 20 years, Jacklyn Bezos served as president of the foundation, before this position was handed over to John E. Deasy in 2023.[17][18]

Later life, death and legacy

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In 2020, Bezos was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological disorder. She continued to be involved with philanthropic work through the Bezos Family Foundation, focusing on early learning programs such as Vroom and the Bezos Scholars Program, as well as funding medical research and community healthcare initiatives, including large-scale donations to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle to advance immunotherapy treatments.[19]

Bezos died at her home in Miami on August 14, 2025, at the age of 78.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Regalado, Francesca (August 14, 2025). "Jackie Bezos, Jeff Bezos' Mother and an Early Amazon Investor, Dies at 78". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Jeff Bezos wishes his mom a happy birthday as she turns 75". HOLA! USA. December 29, 2021. Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Brad Stone, (2013). The Everything Store. United States: Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-21926-6
  4. ^ a b c d e Clifford, Catherine (June 14, 2019). "Jeff Bezos' single teen mom brought him to night school with her when he was a baby". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Dukes, Billy (May 19, 2020). "The Truth About George Strait's Relationship With Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  6. ^ Tom Robinson, (2009). Jeff Bezos: Amazon.com Architect. United States: ABDO Publishing ISBN 9781604537598
  7. ^ a b c Barr, Alistair (October 10, 2013). "Bike shop owner discovers he's father of Amazon founder". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e Lipchik, Saul (August 16, 2022). "Meet Jeff Bezos' billionaire parents, Jacklyn and Miguel 'Mike' Bezos". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Stone, Brad (October 10, 2013). "The Secrets of Bezos: How Amazon Became the Everything Store". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "How Bike Shop Owner Discovered He Was Jeff Bezos' Dad". Inside Edition. January 2014. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Meet Mark Bezos, accompanying big bro Jeff Bezos on his upcoming space flight". South China Morning Post. June 13, 2021. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Mejia, Zameena (August 2, 2018). "Jeff Bezos got his parents to invest nearly $250,000 in Amazon in 1995 — they might be worth $30 billion today". CNBC. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Neate, Rupert (April 25, 2018). "Jeff Bezos: the boy who wanted to colonise space". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  14. ^ "Miguel Bezos". National Museum of American History. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Tom (July 31, 2018). "A hidden Amazon fortune: Bezos' parents could be worth billions". BNN Bloomberg. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Mustak, Dayana (October 12, 2022). "Bezos Family to Donate $711 Million to Cancer Center in Seattle". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Jackie Bezos". Aspen Ideas. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  18. ^ "Dr. John Deasy Named New President of Bezos Family Foundation". Bezos Family Foundation. October 10, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  19. ^ a b "Remembering Jackie Bezos". Bezos Scholars. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
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