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Gap Co-Founder Doris Fisher Dies at 94 in San Francisco
Doris Fisher, who co-founded The Gap Inc. in 1969 with her husband Don, died on May 2, 2026, at age 94. She served as the company's merchandiser for nearly four decades and helped build it into a global retailer with over $15 billion in annual sales. Her legacy includes philanthropy in arts and education.
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Died on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at age 94, a Gap spokesperson said. She passed away surrounded by her family, according to the company. Fisher co-founded the retailer in 1969 with her husband Don Fisher, who died in 2009.
The first Gap store opened on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco that year, initially selling men's Levi's jeans and record tapes. Fisher came up with the name 'The Gap' to bridge the generation gap between parents and children, the company said. The San Francisco-based Gap Inc.
Expanded to include Banana Republic and Old Navy brands, growing into a global operation with about 3,570 stores worldwide and more than $15 billion in annual sales. Fisher served as the company's fashion merchandiser for nearly four decades until 2003, while her husband handled the business side. She remained on the Gap board until 2009 and later held the title of honorary lifetime director.
The company went public in 1976. 'There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher,' Gap CEO and President Richard Dickson stated. 'In Gap-speak, she was a true original. 's founding and a path-breaking entrepreneur at a time when that was highly unusual for women.
Dickson, hired in July 2023, has been spearheading a turnaround after several years of sales malaise. Doris Feigenbaum was born in San Francisco in 1931 and graduated from Stanford University in 1953 with a degree in economics. She is survived by her three sons—Robert, William, and John—along with 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, Gap said.
Her sons have been involved with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, KIPP, Stanford University, The Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the San Francisco Symphony, and The Gap Foundation. Fisher established the Gap Foundation. The Fishers amassed one of the largest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the country, and in 2009, the family pledged more than 1,100 works to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
