Joan B. Kroc
| Joan Kroc | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joan Beverly Mansfield August 27, 1928 West St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 2003 (aged 75) Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Brain tumor |
| Resting place |
El Camino Memorial Park Sorrento Valley, San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Rawland F. Smith (m. 1945–1969, divorced) Ray Kroc (m. 1969–1984, his death) |
| Children | Linda Smith (b. 1946) |
| Parent(s) | Charles Mansfield (father) Gladys Mansfield (mother) |
 Ray and Joan, 57:59, Lisa Napoli discusses her book on C-SPAN
|
Joan Beverly Smith Kroc (née Mansfield; August 27, 1928 – October 12, 2003), also known as Joni, was the third wife of McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc. She was also known for her involvement in the McDonald's organization and for her philanthropy.
Joan was born on August 27, 1928, in West St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father, Charles Smart Mansfield, was a store keeper, later a railroad telegraph operator and salesman. Her mother, Gladys Bonnebelle Mansfield was born April 5, 1906 in Luck, Wisconsin to Herman Conrad Peterson and his wife Emma Bonnebelle. Joan's mother was an accomplished violinist. She studied music at the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis and started teaching at age 15.
In 1945, she married Rawland F. Smith, a Navy veteran, who, eventually, became a McDonald's franchisee. The couple's only child, a daughter named Linda, was born the following year. She had four granddaughters, Allison, Amanda, Amy and Holly.
Joan met McDonald's Corp. founder Ray Kroc while playing organ at the Criterion Restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1957. Kroc said in his autobiography that he "was stunned by her blond beauty". They carried on a secret relationship until they both divorced their spouses and married in 1969. Following Kroc's death in 1984, she inherited his fortune.
Joan's first philanthropic endeavor was Operation Cork in 1976 in La Jolla. It aimed to inform doctors and other health workers about the dangers of alcoholism.
Ray and Joan Kroc owned the San Diego Padres professional baseball club. After Ray's death in 1984, she tried to donate the team to the city of San Diego (the San Diego Padres went on to win its first ever National League pennant that year), but Major League Baseball rules forbid public team ownership. Kroc sold the team in 1990 and turned her attention to philanthropy. She drew controversy when she alluded to paying star and future Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith to maintain her garden at a time when he was refused a raise by her team's general manager.
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