The UBC Sauder School of Business is deeply saddened by the passing of Marjorie Anne Sauder, CM on November 20, 2021. As one of the school’s co-founders and a cherished lifelong friend, she will be forever in our minds and hearts.
Marjorie Anne and her late husband William L. Sauder (Bill) first met as UBC students in the 1940s. After graduation, Bill joined his family’s business, Sauder Industries, which grew into one of British Columbia’s most prominent companies. Through their good fortune and spirit of generosity, Marjorie Anne and Bill became celebrated philanthropists.
In 2003, they established the UBC Sauder School of Business with what was then the largest single private donation made to name a Canadian business school. This trailblazing gift increased undergraduate student spaces, expanded the school’s research capabilities by recruiting outstanding new faculty and increased the number of skilled business graduates in BC.
UBC Sauder School of Business Dean Robert Helsley says Marjorie Anne leaves a profound legacy and eternal connection to UBC Sauder, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
“It has been a privilege and an honour to know Marjorie Anne over the past decade, and to lead the faculty that bears the Sauder name. Marjorie Anne and her late husband, Bill, have played a vital role in providing students with the experiences, knowledge and tools they need to make meaningful contributions to society and grow into responsible leaders. For those who knew her personally, Marjorie Anne was a beacon of kindness, hope and understated compassion. Through her enduring focus on philanthropy and community leadership, I believe her legacy is one of overflowing generosity, a seed that has nurtured generations of UBC students and improved the lives of so many British Columbians.”
Marjorie Anne will be forever remembered for her devotion to community and genuine interest in people. She spent her life giving back to those in need and was committed to serving those less fortunate. In particular, she focused on supporting marginalized children and women and she channeled donations to children’s health causes. She also established research chairs in the area of pediatric and infectious diseases of children. She spent decades serving on the board of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and supported the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education and the Vancouver School of Theology.
Marjorie Anne’s exceptional commitment to UBC has been felt across campus with gifts supporting key educational and healthcare priorities, including the Botanical Gardens, opera students, the UBC Institute for Mental Health and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. She has been recognized with several distinguished honours, including awards in philanthropy and volunteerism. In 2013, she was invested as a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her outstanding dedication to community service.
