Became famous for marrying legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson. She worked for many years as a nurse, eventually becoming the Connecticut Mental Health Center's Director of Nursing. With Lee Daniels, she co-authored the book Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait in 1996.
She met Jackie when both were students at the University of California-Los Angeles.
She established the Jackie Robinson Foundation. In July of 2022, she turned 100 years old.
Her nearly three-decade marriage to Jackie Robinson produced three children: Sharon, David, and Jackie, Jr.
In 2005, she received a Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush.