Jane Dobbins Green is best known as the second wife of Ray Kroc, the American businessman who turned McDonald’s into one of the biggest fast-food companies in the world. She lived a private and quiet life both before and after her five-year marriage to Kroc. She never gave interviews, never wrote a memoir, and never tried to use her connection to Kroc’s fame for personal gain. Her story is a small but important part of the larger history of McDonald’s and the man who built it.
Quick Bio Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jane Elizabeth Dobbins Green Whitney |
| Date of Birth | November 22, 1911 |
| Birthplace | Walla Walla, Washington, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christian |
| Father | Warren David Dobbins |
| Mother | Myrtle Grace Duncan (later Frechette) |
| Height | 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) |
| Occupation | Organist, Secretary |
| Famous For | Second wife of Ray Kroc |
| Married Ray Kroc | February 23, 1963 |
| Divorced Ray Kroc | 1968 |
| Second Husband | Paul D. Whitney (married 1984) |
| Children | None |
| Estimated Net Worth | Around $100,000 at time of death |
| Date of Death | August 7, 2000 |
| Place of Death | Los Angeles, California |
| Buried | Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles |
Early Life and Family
Jane Dobbins Green was born on November 22, 1911, in Walla Walla, a small city in the state of Washington. Her father was Warren David Dobbins and her mother was Myrtle Grace Duncan. Her parents separated when Jane was still young. Her mother later remarried a man named Theodore Frechette. Jane also lost a baby sister named Eula Grace during childhood.
Very little public record exists about her school years or her upbringing. She grew up far from any spotlight and did not come from a wealthy or well-known family. Most accounts describe her as a calm and private person from a young age.
Career Before Marriage
Before she met Ray Kroc, Jane worked in two known roles. She served as a secretary to John Wayne, one of the most famous Hollywood actors of the 20th century. That job placed her close to celebrity circles, but she never sought any personal fame from the connection.
She also worked as an organist, playing music at restaurants and events. One of those jobs was at the Criterion Restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, where her life would change permanently. Her work was quiet and professional, and she kept a low public profile throughout this period.
How Jane Met Ray Kroc
In 1957, Jane was playing the organ at the Criterion Restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ray Kroc was there on a business trip. He heard her music and was drawn to her calm and composed presence. At that time, Ray was still married to his first wife, Ethel Fleming. He was also in the early stages of expanding McDonald’s across the United States.
Ray was 26 years older than Jane. Despite their age difference and his marital status at the time, the two stayed in contact after that meeting. Ray’s first marriage to Ethel Fleming ended in divorce in 1961, after nearly 39 years together. A few years after that divorce, Ray and Jane became more serious about their relationship.
Marriage to Ray Kroc
Jane and Ray Kroc were married on February 23, 1963. Some accounts note that they married just two weeks after reconnecting, which shows how quickly their relationship moved at that stage. Jane became Ray’s second wife at a time when he was deeply focused on McDonald’s growth.
The 1960s were a high-energy period for Kroc’s business. He was opening new restaurant locations across the country and building the company into a national force. Jane did not take any public role in the business. She stayed out of press events and did not appear at corporate gatherings. She provided a quiet home life while Ray moved at the fast pace his business demanded.
The couple did not have any children together. Ray already had one daughter, Marilyn Kroc Barg, from his first marriage to Ethel.
Why the Marriage Ended
The marriage lasted five years before ending in divorce in 1968. The main reason cited across multiple accounts is Ray Kroc’s long-standing emotional attachment to a woman named Joan Smith, who later became Joan Kroc.
Ray had first met Joan in 1957 at the very same Criterion Restaurant where he had also encountered Jane. Joan was playing organ at the restaurant. Ray was immediately drawn to her, but both were married at the time and went their separate ways. Even during his marriage to Jane, Ray never fully stopped thinking about Joan.
In 1968, Ray and Joan crossed paths again at a McDonald’s conference. Their connection quickly returned. Within six months, Ray ended his marriage to Jane. He married Joan in 1969, just one year after the divorce from Jane was finalized. According to historical accounts, Ray instructed his lawyers to break the news to Jane directly, including canceling a cruise they had planned to mark their fifth wedding anniversary.
Jane did not speak publicly about the divorce. She did not go to the press or write anything about what happened. She walked away quietly.
Life After the Divorce
After her divorce from Ray Kroc in 1968, Jane Dobbins Green disappeared from public life completely. She gave no interviews and made no public statements. She did not attempt to profit from her connection to Kroc or to McDonald’s.
In 1984, the same year Ray Kroc passed away, Jane remarried. Her second husband was a man named Paul D. Whitney. Their marriage lasted until her death in 2000. Those who have written about her later years describe that period as a peaceful and contented chapter of her life.
She lived in Los Angeles, California, in her later years. She maintained no connection to the McDonald’s world and had no public presence during that time.
Death and Burial
Jane Dobbins Green passed away on August 7, 2000, in Los Angeles, California. She was 88 years old. Her death was from natural causes related to her age. She was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, a cemetery that also holds the remains of many well-known figures from the entertainment world.
She was buried alongside her second husband, Paul D. Whitney, who passed away in 2008, eight years after Jane. She was not buried near Ray Kroc, who had died much earlier on January 14, 1984, at age 81, and was laid to rest at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego.
Ray Kroc After Jane
After divorcing Jane in 1968, Ray Kroc married Joan Smith in 1969. Joan stayed with him until his death in 1984. She inherited his fortune, which was estimated at around $600 million at the time of his death. Joan Kroc went on to become one of the most well-known philanthropists in American history. She donated hundreds of millions of dollars to organizations including National Public Radio and The Salvation Army before her own death in 2003.
Ray Kroc’s first wife, Ethel Fleming, had divorced him in 1961 after nearly 39 years of marriage. She received a settlement that included a home and a yearly payment for life. Ethel passed away on December 26, 1965, in Miami, Florida.
Jane’s Place in McDonald’s History
Jane Dobbins Green was married to Ray Kroc during one of the most important periods of McDonald’s growth. The 1960s saw the company expand rapidly across the United States under Kroc’s leadership. Jane was present in his personal life during that transformation, though she had no professional role in the company.
Her place in the McDonald’s story is a small one, overshadowed by the more widely documented marriages to Ethel Fleming and Joan Kroc. But she was there during a pivotal time, and her quiet support formed part of the background of that era.
Net Worth
Jane Dobbins Green’s personal net worth was never publicly disclosed during her lifetime. At the time of her death, estimates placed it at around $100,000. She did not inherit money from Ray Kroc and did not pursue business interests of her own. Her modest financial situation stood in sharp contrast to Kroc’s massive wealth. She lived simply and without public financial activity throughout her post-divorce years.
Key Facts About Ray Kroc (for Context)
Ray Kroc was born on October 5, 1902, in Oak Park, Illinois. He worked various jobs before becoming a milkshake mixer salesman. He visited a McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1954 and saw its potential. He purchased the McDonald’s company from the McDonald brothers in 1961 and led it as CEO from 1967 to 1973. Under his leadership, McDonald’s became the most successful fast-food corporation in the world by revenue. He died on January 14, 1984, at age 81, from heart failure.
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FAQ
1. Who was Jane Dobbins Green? She was an American woman best known as the second wife of Ray Kroc, the businessman who built McDonald’s into a global fast-food company.
2. When was Jane Dobbins Green born? She was born on November 22, 1911, in Walla Walla, Washington.
3. How did Jane Dobbins Green meet Ray Kroc? She met Ray Kroc in 1957 while working as an organist at the Criterion Restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota. They later married in 1963.
4. When did Jane Dobbins Green marry Ray Kroc? They were married on February 23, 1963.
5. Why did Jane and Ray Kroc divorce? Their marriage ended in 1968 because Ray Kroc rekindled his feelings for Joan Smith, whom he had met years earlier and later married in 1969.
6. Did Jane Dobbins Green have children? No. She and Ray Kroc did not have any children together.
7. What did Jane Dobbins Green do for work? She worked as a secretary for actor John Wayne and as an organist at restaurants before her marriage to Ray Kroc.
8. Who did Jane Dobbins Green marry after Ray Kroc? She married Paul D. Whitney in 1984. That marriage lasted until her death in 2000.
9. When did Jane Dobbins Green die? She died on August 7, 2000, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 88.
10. Where is Jane Dobbins Green buried? She is buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
11. What was Jane Dobbins Green’s net worth? Her net worth at the time of her death was estimated at around $100,000. She did not inherit from Ray Kroc.
12. Did Jane Dobbins Green speak publicly about her marriage to Ray Kroc? No. She never gave interviews, never wrote a book, and never made any public statements about her marriage or divorce.