Toni Brinker, a Dallas philanthropist and former spouse of two Texas business titans, died earlier this month at age 74, the charity she founded confirmed.
Brinker founded One Community USA, a charitable organization focused on improving relations between law enforcement and the communities they protect, and was previously married to Chili’s Grill & Bar owner Norman Brinker and later to Dallas energy billionaire T. Boone Pickens.
According to a statement from the One Community USA board of directors, she died on April 7. The cause of death has not been released.
“Mrs. Brinker, who passed away surrounded by her family on April 7, 2024, is warmly remembered as a visionary and generous leader who cherished the ideals of safe, thriving neighborhood communities and a safer America, regardless of zip code,” the nonprofit said in a statement.
“Most of her work has been focused in the North Texas area and we, and those she has served, are extremely grateful for the incredible improvements she has made in the lives of children, adults and families.”
She launched the charity in 2015 as Operation Blue Shield, but later expanded its reach to include rehabilitation and diversion programs for formerly incarcerated people.
In 2003, Toni Chapman married Norman Brinker, owner of some of America’s best-known casual dining chains, including Bennigan’s, Steak & Ale and Chili’s Grill & Bar. Norman Brinker died in 2009 at age 78 after expanding Brinker International to Maggiano’s Little Italy and the Mexican restaurant On the Border.
Toni Brinker married energy mogul T. Boone Pickens in a lavish ceremony at his sprawling Mesa Vista ranch in the Texas Panhandle in 2014, attended by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and others. The couple divorced less than four years later, in 2017. T. Boone Pickens died in 2019 at age 91.
No information about Toni Brinker’s services has been released.
