Elaine Agnes Amerland: Inside The Life Of Melinda French Gates’ Mother

Elaine Agnes Amerland is the mother of Melinda French Gates born Melinda Ann French. Elaine Agnes Amerland’s daughter Melinda is an American philanthropist, former multimedia product developer, and manager at Microsoft. She is the co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is also known as the former wife of business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and writer Bill Gates.

Elaine Agnes Amerland: Bio Summary

Who Is Melinda French Gates’ Mother?

Melinda French Gates’ mother is Elaine Agnes Amerland. Elaine was born in the year 1940. George Albert Amerland and Mary Agnes Amerland are the names of her parents. She has a sister called Myra Ann Amerland. Most details of her life as a child and relatives are not available. Nothing is known regarding her education.

Elaine Agnes Amerland was a homemaker. She married Raymond Joseph French Jr., an aerospace engineer. Elaine was a very supportive wife. She and her husband Raymond became parents of four children. They had two daughters, Melinda French Gates (born Melinda Ann French), and Susan Marie French, and two sons Raymond Gerald French, and Steven Michael French.

Elaine and her husband Raymond Joseph French, Jr have been very supportive parents. Their daughter Melinda French Gates who is the second of their four children has disclosed that Elaine and Raymond “did a lot to nurture” her dreams. She has spoken about some of the lessons and advice her mother Elaine taught her.

Melinda French Gates has mentioned that her mother Elaine gave her a piece of advice that has remained with her till today. “Set your own agenda, or someone else will set it for you,” Melinda wrote of her mother’s advice. She added that her mother’s advice inspired her to write for Rebel Girls’ book “Dear Rebel.” Melinda celebrates her parents often.

From time to time, Melinda shares posts of her parents on her social media handles. She once shared on her verified Instagram handle on Mothers Day: “When I was growing up, my mom made sure I knew that I could be anything or anybody I wanted to be. That message meant the world to me back then—and so did her constant support as I followed my path through college and into my career.”

ALSO, READ: Raymond Joseph French Jr.: Where Is Melinda French Gates’ Father Now?

“I still turn to her when I’m wrestling with a tough issue or just need somebody to talk to, and I feel so lucky that she’s never more than a phone call away.” Elaine and her daughter Melinda are close to each other. Elaine has lived a private life. Her daughter Melinda is the reason she is in the spotlight. Melinda landed her first job tutoring children in mathematics and computer programming.

Melinda later became a marketing manager with Microsoft and worked on the online travel agency, Expedia. In the early 1990s, she was appointed as General Manager of Information Products, a position which she held until 1996. She left her work at Microsoft that year to focus on starting a family. She served as a member of Duke University’s Board of Trustees (1996 to 2003).

Elaine Agnes Amerland’s daughter Melinda French Gates was on the board of directors at Drugstore.com but left in August 2006. She collaborated with her now ex-husband Bill Gates in founding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in the world.

Melinda is the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She and Bill Gates have been awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honour. In 2015, Melinda became the founder of Pivotal Ventures, a separate, independent organization to identify and implement innovative solutions to problems affecting U.S. women and families.

“I formed Pivotal Ventures because I felt I could do the work there, and it’s a company, not a foundation so I have more tools in my toolbox,” Melinda said in a 2022 interview. Melinda is the author of the book The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World (2019).

Elaine Agnes Amerland Is A Grandmother

Elaine Agnes Amerland is a grandmother. Although she may have other grandchildren, her known grandchildren are the three children of her daughter Melinda French Gates from her previous marriage to billionaire Bill Gates. Melinda and Bill met each other at a trade fair in New York. They started dating in 1987.

ALSO, READ: Jennifer Katharine Gates, Bill Gates’ Elders Daughter

Melinda and Bill officially became husband and wife on January 1, 1994, in a private ceremony that took place in Lanai, Hawaii. They became one of the richest and most powerful couples. They have three children, two daughters and a son. Their daughters are Jennifer Gates and Phoebe Adele Gates and their only son is Rory John Gates.

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In a joint statement in 2021, Melinda and Bill announced on social media their decision to divorce. On Twitter, they revealed that “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.” They decided to end their 27 years of marriage and 34 years as a couple.

They added: “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”

“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.” The divorce was finalized on August 2, 2021. Melinda described her divorce from Bill Gates as “unbelievably painful.”

Where Is Melinda French Gates’ Mother Now?

Melinda French Gates’ mother Elaine Agnes Amerland stayed away from publicity as much as possible. According to sources, Elaine is not alive any longer. Biographymask has it that, she died of breast cancer. There isn’t much information about her death.