All About Bill Gates’ Parents, Bill Sr. and Mary Maxwell

Bill Gates’ parents, Bill Sr. and Mary Maxwell, encouraged him to be curious and generous

Bill Gates credits his success in life to his parents, Bill Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates.

The Microsoft founder and philanthropist is one of Bill Sr. and Mary’s three children. The couple met while they were students at the University of Washington in the 1940s, shortly after Bill Sr. returned from serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, according to the school's website.

Although Bill Sr. had initially asked Mary to set him up on a date with one of her friends, she had a different idea. She convinced Bill Sr. to take her out instead — and two years after their first date, they married in 1951.

While raising their children, Bill Sr. and Mary instilled in them a strong work ethic, the importance of community and the significance of helping others. Looking back on his childhood, Bill says his parents supported him in all that he did, even if that meant dropping out of Harvard University.

“My sisters, Kristi and Libby, and I are very lucky to have been raised by our mom and dad. They gave us constant encouragement and were always patient with us. I knew their love and support were unconditional, even when we clashed in my teenage years,” Bill wrote on his GatesNotes blog.

He continued, “I am sure that’s one of the reasons why I felt comfortable taking some big risks when I was young, like leaving college to start Microsoft with Paul Allen. I knew they would be in my corner even if I failed.”

Today, Bill says his dad and mom continue to inspire him years after their deaths.

Here’s everything to know about Bill Gates’ parents, Bill Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates.

Bill Sr. and Mary met at the University of Washington

Bill Sr. and Mary first crossed paths when they were students at the University of Washington.

According to the University of Washington Magazine, Bill Sr. was always set on attending the institute, but after starting classes in 1943, he decided to join the Army Reserve with the understanding that he would get called up to serve in WWII.

After Bill Sr. went abroad to the Philippines and Japan with the U.S. Army and returned in 1946, he resumed his schooling through the G.I. Bill and earned a bachelor's degree in 1949, followed by his law degree the next year.

Meanwhile, Mary was studying education and was the student body secretary. She also graduated in 1950 with her bachelor's degree.

While reflecting in his book, Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime, Bill Sr. explained that he had become friendly with Mary and hoped she would introduce him to her sorority sisters. Considering that he towered over others — standing at 6’7” — he asked Mary to set him up with one of her taller friends — but she had a different idea.

“Mary was confident all along that what I really wanted to do was go out with her. She had decided I just didn’t know that yet, or I was trying to ask her out in a backwards way,” he wrote, adding that when he asked if she had set up a date yet, she said it would be with her.

Although he admits he was unsure about dating a woman who was more than a foot shorter than him, he agreed. The pair were married two years later and went on to welcome three children: Kristi, Bill Jr. and Libby.

Mary worked as a teacher early in her career

After graduating from college, Mary pursued a career in education. She became a school teacher, working until she became pregnant with the couple’s daughter, Kristi. At the time, Mary resigned from her job to focus on raising her growing family.

“Her buoyant, adventurous approach to life served her well in her first career, teaching," Bill Sr. wrote in Showing Up for Life. "When she resigned ... the principal wrote her a letter in which he described as the best teacher he had ever encountered."

He added, "After she left teaching, she turned her talents toward building our family life."

Later in life, when she reentered the workforce, Mary served on the board of directors for numerous major companies, including First Interstate Bank of Washington, Unigard Security Insurance Group and Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company, as well as KIRO Incorporated television and radio stations, per her University of Washington bio.

Related: All About Bill Gates' Siblings, Sisters Kristianne and Libby Gates

Bill Sr. was a lawyer and founded his own law firm

When he completed law school, Bill Sr. landed a job working at a private practice.

While he admits the position wasn’t “glamorous,” he says it allowed him to earn a salary. It also gave him the title of assistant city attorney as the lawyer who employed him was the Bremerton, Wash. city attorney. He also began to use his law degree to help others in his community, taking on pro bono work.

Then, in 1964, Bill Sr. formed his own law firm with two partners. For years, it was known as Preston Thorgrimson Ellis & Holman before becoming Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP in 1997. The firm later merged again and is called K&L Gates, one of the world’s largest law firms.

“I consider myself fortunate because I have always found satisfaction and meaning in the practice of law,” he wrote in Showing Up for Life. “A love of the law isn't about a statute book. It's about caring and being enthusiastic about having a just society.”

As a lawyer, Bill Sr. was involved in numerous professional associations and even held a leadership role with the American Bar Association. Later, he helped create scholarships for underrepresented law students in need.

In 2009, he was awarded the American Bar Association Medal — the group’s highest honor recognizing “distinguished service by a lawyer to the cause of American jurisprudence.”

Bill Sr. instilled his sense of work ethic in his son

Growing up, Bill Sr. ingrained a strong work ethic in his son. Looking back on his parent’s lives, Bill says both his father and mother provided “constant encouragement” and were “always patient.”

He also credits his dad for pushing him to “try things I hated or didn’t think I could do.”

“When I was a kid, he wasn’t prescriptive or domineering, and yet he never let me coast along at things I was good at,” Bill wrote in a tribute to his father. “He modeled an amazing work ethic. He was one of the hardest-working and most respected lawyers in Seattle, as well as a major civic leader in our region.”

Mary and Bill Sr. were involved in philanthropy and serving the community

Both Bill’s mother and father were actively involved in philanthropy and caring for their community throughout their lives. According to Bill Sr.’s obituary, "volunteering and philanthropy were nightly topics of conversation around the Gates family dinner table."

After Mary resigned from teaching, she got involved in public service, first volunteering as a tutor for students in need and then joining the nonprofit United Way to help struggling single parents. She later served on the board of United Way of King County, and in 1983, she was named the first woman to lead the board of United Way of America, per the Associated Press (via The New York Times).

Mary also volunteered with Seattle’s Children’s Hospital, even lobbying in Washington, D.C., for issues involving children, according to Showing Up for Life. Additionally, Mary served on the boards of the Seattle Symphony and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, plus numerous other nonprofit organizations, per her bio on the University of Washington website.

In 1975, Mary was named a Regent of the University of Washington, a group that helps govern the university. She also served on the UW Foundation Board of Directors, the UW Medical Center Board and the School of Business Administration’s Advisory Board.

Bill Sr. also acted as a Regent of the university for 15 years and directed Campaign UW, which raised $2.7 billion for the school. He was named UW’s Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus, and a UW Regent resolution saluted Bill as “patriarch of the first family of the University,” according to the University of Washington Magazine.

Like Mary, Bill Sr. was also involved in many community endeavors. He was a trustee of several organizations, including the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the King County Chamber of Commerce, Planned Parenthood and the United Way of King County. He also founded the Technology Alliance and chaired the Seattle Public Schools Levy.

Mary played a pivotal role in the success of Microsoft

When Microsoft was still in its early years, Mary played a vital role in helping the young company succeed. Through her position on the national United Way board, she met IBM chairman John Opel.

At the time, IBM was looking to outsource help to create an operating system for its personal computer, per CNBC. Microsoft was in the running for the job — and Mary put in a good word.

“It was Mary who first told John Opel that our son and his company, Microsoft, were working on a project for IBM,” Bill Sr. wrote in Showing Up for Life. “According to an IBM staff member, when Microsoft’s work for IBM was brought before Opel during a review of the IBM PC project, he said, ‘Oh, that's Mary Gates’s son.’ The IBM employee said it was nice that [Bill’s] mom had put in a good word for him.”

Microsoft went on to create the Microsoft Disk Operating System, which was adopted by IBM and used in almost every personal computer at the time, cementing Microsoft's place in the tech space.

Mary died in 1994 after being diagnosed with breast cancer

In the spring of 1993, Mary began experiencing a variety of health issues and was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.

While Bill Sr. says she was always optimistic, she unfortunately succumbed to the illness. On June 10, 1994, Mary died at age 64, per The Seattle Times.

Bill Sr. remarried Mimi Gardner in 1996

In the years following Mary’s death, Bill Sr. was introduced to a woman named Mimi Gardner. At the time, Gardner was working as the director of the Seattle Art Museum.

Reflecting on their initial encounter, Bill Sr. says one of the characteristics that first attracted him to Gardner was her “old-fashioned grit and determination.” The pair quietly began dating but eventually realized their feelings were too strong to conceal.

“I made it known to my family and friends how much I cared for Mimi. As one of my closest friends put it, ‘We were all beginning a new chapter,’ ” he wrote in Showing Up for Life.

Bill Sr. and Gardner tied the knot in 1996 and spent over two decades together “traveling the world, learning, laughing, enjoying life, and simply being together.”

Bill Sr. worked for the Gates Foundation after his retirement

In 1994, Bill Sr. was getting ready to retire from his law firm when he found a new purpose in his career.

It began when Bill and his then-wife Melinda French Gates told him about the many messages and letters they received asking for philanthropic support for different causes. At the time, Bill was too busy running Microsoft to sift through the appeals — so Bill Sr. suggested that he be the one to do it, per The New York Times.

Bill allowed his father to take on the task, agreeing to let Bill Sr. write checks for causes that he deemed worthy. Bill Sr. began to sort through dozens of boxes filled with requests for money — and a week later, his son decided to set aside $100 million to fund what was originally known as the William H. Gates Foundation. Shortly after, Bill Sr. wrote the first check for $80,000 for a local cancer program.

The foundation was housed in the basement of Bill Sr.’s home for quite some time before it eventually grew into a major philanthropic effort. Bill Sr. continued to run the foundation's day-to-day operations and consulted with experts as he distributed funds to those in need.

Over the next few years, the Gates Library Foundation was launched, followed by the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which aimed to help minority students succeed in college.

In 2000, the William H. Gates Foundation merged with the Gates Learning Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was formed. It gave the father and son the chance to work together for the first time.

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would not be what it is today without my dad. More than anyone else, he shaped the values of the foundation,” Bill wrote on his GatesNotes blog. "We worked together at the foundation not so much as father and son but as friends and colleagues."

He continued, “He and I had always wanted to do something concrete together. When we started doing so in a big way at the foundation, we had no idea how much fun we would have. We only grew closer during more than two decades of working together.”

Related: Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' 3 Children: All About Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe

Bill Sr. died in 2020 from Alzheimer's disease

Later in his life, Bill Sr. was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He spent the final months of his life with his wife and family at his home in Hood Canal, Wash. He died on Sept. 15, 2020 at the age of 94.

“We are feeling grief but also gratitude. My dad’s passing was not unexpected ... so we have all had a long time to reflect on just how lucky we are to have had this amazing man in our lives for so many years," Bill wrote on his GatesNotes blog.

He added, "The experience of being the son of Bill Gates was incredible. People used to ask my dad if he was the real Bill Gates. The truth is, he was everything I try to be. I will miss him every day."

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