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The mother of the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Jacklyn Gise Bezos, died following a battle with dementia of Lewy’s body, he announced on Instagram. She was 78 years old.
Gise Bezos died in her Miami home on Thursday, according to the Bezos Scholars Program, a foundation that she started with her husband, Mike Bezos.
“After a long fight with the dementia of Lewy’s body, she died today, surrounded by so many of us who loved her – her children, grandchildren and my father,” his eldest son wrote on Thursday in an Instagram post. “I know she felt our love in these last moments.”
Dementia of Lewy’s body is a type of dementia in which the protein bodies called Lewy body develop in the nerve cells of the brain, having an impact on the regions involved in movement, memory and thought, according to the Mayo clinic.
“Lewy’s dementia causes a drop in mental capacities that is gradually worsening over time,” said Mayo Clinic. “People with LBD could see things that are not there, called visual hallucinations. They can also have changes in vigilance and attention.”
Other LBD symptoms include the movement of slowdown, confusion, depression and memory loss, according to the Mayo clinic. This is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.
Gise Bezos was born in Washington DC and finally moved to Albuquerque, in New Mexico, with his family, according to the Bezos Scholars program. She had her first child, Jeff, when she was in high school at the age of 17.
“As a young single mother, Jackie was relentless – according to night school lessons after high school and working in a day bank,” said the foundation in their announcement of her death. “Her quarter of work ride with a young Cuban immigrant who worked a quarter -night named Miguel (Mike) Bezos. The two fell in love and married on April 5, 1968, in what would be the beginning of a deep partnership for life in all aspects of their life.”
The couple had two children together, Christina and Mark, and Gise Bezos “devoted her life to her family and shed their hearts to raise their children with compassion, patience and wisdom,” said the foundation.
In his declaration on his death, Bezos stressed that his mother’s adulthood started early because she had it young.
“It couldn’t have been easy, but she did it all,” said Bezos. “She jumped on the work of loving me fiercely, brought my incredible father to the team a few years later, then added my sister and my brother to her list of people to love, keep and feed. For the rest of her life, this list of people to love has never stopped growing. She has always given much more than she asked.”
But Gise Bezos was also dedicated to education. At the age of 45 in 1991, she returned to school and obtained a baccalaureate in the arts of Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey.
“Return to university as an adult and pursuing your own studies was only an other example of Jackie’s determination and grace,” said the foundation. “His commitment to personal growth was an inspiration for all those who knew it and a powerful reminder that he is never too late to follow your dreams.”
In 2000, Gise Bezos founded Bezos Family Foundation with her husband, children and their families, and in 2005, they founded the Bezos Scholars program, helping to offer leadership development programs to exceptional students from the United States to Africa, according to their website.
The death of Gise Bezos comes a little less than two months after her The billionaire son married Lauren Sánchez in Italy. The sumptuous events celebrating the couple attended Oprah, Queen Rania in Jordan, Ivanka Trump and many other VIPs.
“We were all fortunate to be in his life,” said Bezos about his mother. “I keep it safe in my heart forever.”
“I love you, mom.”
