Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Mourns the Loss of Mother-in-Law Paula Goldberg

Alexandra Schonfeld
·3 min read
Sheryl Sandberg’s Mother-in-Law Died
Sheryl Sandberg’s Mother-in-Law Died

Sheryl Sandberg/Instagram

Sheryl Sandberg is mourning the loss of her late-husband's mother, Paula Goldberg.

On Sunday night, Sandberg, 52, shared to Instagram the news that Goldberg had died with a lengthy caption and carousel of photos honoring the legacy of her mother-in-law.

One image included was a close-up shot of Sandberg dressed in Minnesota Vikings gear smiling next to Goldberg. In another, Sandberg is seen on her wedding day to late husband Dave Goldberg standing next to both her mother, Adele Sandberg and Goldberg.

"Today, I join my brother-in-law @iamrobgoldberg in honoring the life and legacy of his mother and my mother-in-law, Paula Goldberg, who passed away this morning," she wrote in her Instagram caption.

RELATED: Sheryl Sandberg Honors Her Mom, Soon-to-Be Mother-in-Law, and Late Husband's Mother for Mother's Day

Sandberg went on to share about Goldberg's work as the co-founder for the PACER center — which, according to the organization's website, works to enhance "the quality of life and expands opportunities for children, youth, and young adults with all disabilities and their families so each person can reach his or her highest potential."

"In the office of the PACER Center that she co-founded and directed for decades, there was a sign that said, 'nothing is impossible,' " Sandberg recalled. "That is a perfect moto for the incredible woman that the world lost today."

Among the other images in Sandberg's post, Goldberg was seen gathered with children at a PACER anti-bullying event. The final picture in the gallery was a sweet image of Sandberg with Goldberg, her own mother Adele and future mother-in-law Joan.

The Facebook COO shared that her mother-in-law was a "dedicated wife, mother, sister, friend and grandmother" having taught her children and grandchildren to be "passionate about changing the world and dedicated to getting things done — and to be life-long @vikings fans."

RELATED: Sheryl Sandberg's Fiancé Tom Bernthal Honors Her Late Husband Dave Goldberg, Whom He Knew

She continued, "Paula suffered from two profound losses in her life, first her husband and then her son. Her bravery in the face of both was astounding. A few months after we lost Dave, she, Rob, and I were in his closet facing the surreal task of cleaning it out. I turned to her with tears pouring down my face and asked her how she was possibly ok doing this for a son after doing it for a husband. She said to us that while Mel and Dave were gone, she was alive, she would keep on living, and we should too. She said to me in that unthinkable moment that one day I would get married again and she would dance at my wedding."

Sheryl Sandberg’s Mother-in-Law Died
Sheryl Sandberg’s Mother-in-Law Died

Sheryl Sandberg/Instagram

Sandberg is getting remarried this summer to consulting CEO Tom Bernthal after being introduced by her brother-in-law Rob.

The couple got engaged in February 2020. Sandberg wrote that while her former-mother-in-law won't be there to celebrate this summer, she gave credit to her for getting her to this point.

"...her strength is part of how I was able to keep on living and find new love," Sandberg said.

Sandberg's first husband, Dave Goldberg, died suddenly in 2015 after having a heart attack while working out alone in a hotel gym in Mexico during a vacation with friends. The pair shared two children together.

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