DONALD FISHER, CO- FOUNDER OF GAP DIES AT 81

Donald G. Fisher, co-founder of Gap Inc., died Sept. 27, in San Francisco at the age of 81.

Fisher founded the first store with his wife, Doris, in San Francisco on Aug. 21, 1969. With $63,000 and a mission to provide customers with all sizes and styles of jeans, they called the store The Gap - named for “the generation gap.” The original goal was to solve a problem they experienced by not being able to find a pair of jeans that fit.

In August 2009, the company launched a premium jeans collection, called 1969, in homage to the company's heritage and 40th anniversary with a newly revised and expanded range of denim offerings.

Gap Inc. expanded and soon had 3,100 stores in the US, UK, Canada, France, Japan and Ireland, with a company roster that included Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta.

“Today we lost a friend, a mentor and a great visionary,” said Glenn Murphy, CEO and chairman of the board of Gap Inc. “Don and Doris took a simple idea and turned it into a brand recognized as a cultural icon throughout the world and changed the face of retail forever. We will miss him deeply, and our thoughts and prayers are with Doris and the entire Fisher family during this time.”

Fisher was Gap’s chairman and CEO from 1969 to 1995 and was chairman of the board until 2004. In 1977, Fisher and wife Doris started the Gap Foundation; supporting nonprofit organizations helping young people around the world acquire job and life skills. Fisher also served on the board of trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Art, which will be the eventual home of the Fisher’s extensive private collection of contemporary art.

The Fisher’s also contributed $100 million to the KIPP Foundation, a network of free, open-enrollment, college prep public schools and Teach for America, which serves students in low-income communities.

Son Bob Fisher will serve on Gap Inc.’s board of directors (he is a 30 year veteran of the company) and his wife Doris is an honorary lifetime member of the board.

Fisher is survived by his sons and their wives, Bill and Sako, John and Laura and Bob and Randi, ten grandchildren, two brothers and their wives, Jim and Diane Fisher and Bob and Ann Fisher.