Behind every great man is a great woman, so the saying goes.

And in Jeff Bezos’ case that woman was his mother Jacklyn Bezos, who died peacefully at her home this week at the age of 78.

Today, her son is one of the world’s wealthiest men, but his beginnings were a lot more humble.

It is largely thanks to the tireless sacrifice of his mother that he is able to sit atop his Amazon empire.

It is a sentiment not lost on the billionaire CEO, who acknowledged Jacklyn’s monumental place in his life in an emotional post announcing her death.

“After a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia, she passed away today, surrounded by many who loved her, including her children, grandchildren, and my father,” Jeff shared.

‘I know she felt our love in those final moments. We were all so lucky to be in her life. I hold her safe in my heart forever.’

Although it might have been Bezos’ fortune to have her as a mother, it was Jacklyn’s resilience and faith in her son that transformed her life from a struggling teenage mom to one of the initial investors in one of the globe’s largest companies.

Jacklyn Bezos, also known as Jackie, died peacefully at her Miami home on Thursday at the age of 78

She gave birth to her billionaire Amazon founder son at 17 years old while still in high school

Jacklyn was born in Washington, DC, and spent her formative years in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was there, during high school, that she met Jeff’s biological father, Ted Jorgensen, as noted by the Bezos Scholars Program.

She gave birth to the Amazon founder at 17 years old shortly after marrying Jorgensen, but the two divorced shortly after.

‘My mom, Jackie, had me when she was a 17-year-old high school student in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Being pregnant in high school was not popular in Albuquerque in 1964. It was difficult for her,’ Jeff said in a 2020 congressional hearing.

‘When they tried to kick her out of school, my grandfather went to bat for her. After some negotiation, the principal said, “OK, she can stay and finish high school, but she can’t do any extracurricular activities, and she can’t have a locker”.

‘My grandfather took the deal, and my mother finished high school, though she wasn’t allowed to walk across the stage with her classmates to get her diploma.’

As a young, single mom, she started taking night classes while also working at a bank during the day.

‘Determined to keep up with her education, she enrolled in night school, picking classes led by professors who would let her bring an infant to class,’ Jeff said.

‘She would show up with two duffel bags—one full of textbooks, and one packed with diapers, bottles, and anything that would keep me interested and quiet for a few minutes.’

As a young, single mom, she worked at a bank and attended night classes. She eventually met and married a young Cuban immigrant, Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos

Jacklyn and Miguel (pictured) went on to invest just under $250,000 into Amazon in 1995 to help their son

Her shift at the bank overlapped with a young Cuban immigrant, Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos, where the two met and fell in love.

The couple eventually married, and Miguel adopted Jeff. They also had two children together, Christina and Mark.

Jacklyn and Miguel went on to invest just under $250,000 into Amazon in 1995 to help their son with his new company.

‘They weren’t making a bet on Amazon or the concept of a bookstore on the internet. They were making a bet on their son,’ Jeff said.

‘I told them that I thought there was a 70 percent chance they would lose their investment, and they did it anyway.’

The sum that they lent him was considered not just a huge amount but also a massive risk, as people were still skeptical of the internet.

But the gamble paid off, as their son is now worth over $243 billion, while Amazon is a $2 trillion company.

Bezos spoke about the original investment his parents gave him at a 2015 event, recalling telling them: ‘I want you to know how risky this is.

In 2022, Bezos helped his parents snap up a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom waterfront Miami mansion in 2022 for $34 million

Jeff often praised his parents in speeches and online. He is pictured hugging his mother after his flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard into space in July 2021

‘Because I want to come home at dinner for Thanksgiving and I don’t want you to be mad at me.’ 

It is unclear how much stock they still hold in the company; they donated just under 600,000 shares to the Bezos Family Foundation from 2001 to 2016, according to filings.

In 2022, Bezos helped his parents snap up a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom waterfront Miami mansion in 2022 for $34 million.

The property was bought by a Delaware company linked to Bezos’ parents with the help of a $5 million loan from the Bank of America.

Jeff added to his own tribute: ‘Her adulthood started a little bit early when she became my mom at the tender age of 17.

‘That couldn’t have been easy, but she made it all work. She pounced on the job of loving me with ferocity, brought my amazing dad onto the team a few years later, and then added my sister and brother to her list of people to love, guard, and nourish.

‘For the rest of her life, that list of people to love never stopped growing. She always gave so much more than she ever asked for.’