| Jacqueline Desmarais | |
| Birth Name: | Jacqueline Maranger |
| Birth Date: | 20 September 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
| Known For: | Philanthropy |
| Spouse: | Paul Desmarais (1953-2013; his death) |
| Children: | 4, including Paul Jr. and André |
Jacqueline Desmarais, (September 20, 1928 – March 3, 2018) was a Canadian billionaire, and long-term supporter of music and opera.
She was born Jacqueline Maranger in Sudbury, Ontario, to Ernest Marenger and Albertine Thanase, on September 20, 1928.[1] [2]
According to Forbes, Desmarais had a net worth of $4.2 billion in January 2015.[3]
She was a long-term supporter of music and opera in Canada, and head of the guild of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1989 to 1999. In 1997, she created a foundation in her name to support young opera singers.[2]
On September 8, 1953,[1] at Notre-de-Dame-de-Grâce, Quebec, she wed the financier Paul Desmarais (1927-2013), also a native of Sudbury.
They had two sons: Paul Jr. and André (who is married to Canadian former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's daughter France) and two daughters, Sophie and Louise.[7]
Jacqueline Desmarais lived on a 75-acre estate at Domaine Laforest à Sagard, Charlevoix, Quebec, until her death in 2018.[3]
Jacqueline Desmarais died on March 3, 2018, aged 89.[5] [2]