BURBANK, Calif. -- Edna Francis Disney, whose late husband Roy O. Disney co-founded Walt Disney Productions and helped build the entertainment company into an international conglomerate, has died following a brief illness. She was 94.
Hospital spokesmen said Mrs. Disney died Tuesday at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, across the street from the sprawling Disney studio complex.
Born to pioneer parents in Reece, Kansas, on Jan. 16, 1890, she moved with her family to Kansas City at an early age and lived in the same neighborhood as her future husband and his younger brother, Walt.
Following her marriage in 1925, she frequently assisted in the office work at the brother's' fledgling studio for several years, and her family often worked on film projects around the dinner table at night until the business became successful.
Survivors include her son, Roy Edward Disney, vice chairman of Walt Disney Productions; her daughter-in-law, Patricia Daily Disney; and four grandchildren, Roy Patrick, Susan, Abigail and Timothy Disney.
A private funeral is planned.
