Donna Marriott, wife of the Marriott hotel chain’s longtime CEO, died Tuesday, the company announced Wednesday. She was 90.

Marriott, a Bethesda-based multinational corporation, didn’t provide a cause of death but stated in a news release that she died peacefully and surrounded by loved ones.

“I first met the girl of my dreams sitting on a bench at a bus stop at the University of Utah,” her husband, Bill Marriott Jr., 93, said in a statement. “She has blessed my life.”

A devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Donna Marriott held several leadership roles within the organization.

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She also worked with the American Heart Association for more than 55 years, and chaired one of its top fundraisers in Washington, D.C.

“She exemplified grace and strength, and her love for family was evident in everything she did,” Anthony Capuano, Marriott International’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: (L-R) Matthew Carroll, Sami Abuzeid, David Marriott, J.W. Marriott. Jr, Mrs. Donna Marriott, Debbie Marriott Harrison, Ron Harrison, Paul Cahill, and Dan Nadeau of Marriott International pose on the red carpet during the grand opening of the The Marriott Marquis Washington D.C., its' 4000th hotel opening on June 10, 2014 in Washington, DC.
Donna Marriott, center, with her husband, family and colleagues at the grand opening of the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., the company’s 4,000th hotel opening, in 2014. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Marriott Hotels)

Marriott was born June 10, 1935, in Evanston, Illinois, the eldest of Royal and Marba Garff’s four children.

Her mother died when she was just 12, and she helped raise her siblings, according to an online obituary posted by the Marriott corporation.

Marriott grew up in Salt Lake City, where she developed a love for music and dance. She studied English at the University of Utah.

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She met Bill Marriott at the university, and the couple married in 1955. They recently celebrated their 70th anniversary.

As her husband’s company grew into a global hospitality giant, Marriott devoted herself to raising their four children — carpooling, attending sporting events and planning nightly family dinners, according to the company.

She took particular joy in celebrating the holidays, and the family’s gatherings brought together four generations. Her holiday crafts — needlepoint stockings, ornaments and pillows — became family keepsakes.

In addition to her husband, Marriott is survived by three children, 15 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and two sisters.

Her son Stephen preceded her in death.

The family will hold a private memorial service with close friends.