Tun Endon Mahmood

Born on 24th Disember 1940 at Kuala Lumpur, She was the daughter of Datuk Mahmood Ambak, a Malay, and Datin Mariam Abdullah, a Japanese.

Born on 24th Disember 1940

Married Tun Abdullah in 1965

Tun Endon and Tun Abdullah have two children: Kamaluddin and Nori

Tun Endon Mahmood was the first wife of Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Born on 24th Disember 1940 at Kuala Lumpur, She was the daughter of Datuk Mahmood Ambak, a Malay and Datin Mariam Abdullah, a Japanese.  Her father, Datuk Mahmood Ambak, was a mining officer, in the Department of Mines. Tun Endon received her early education at the Anglo- Chinese School, now Methodist National Type Primary School. She then continued to attend St. Mary’s Secondary School in Kuala Lumpur. 

Tun Endon met Tun Abdullah while she was working at the Federal Establishment Office, now known as the Public Service Department in the 1960s, and got married in 1965. Together, they were blessed with two children, Kamaluddin and Nori. 

As the wife of the Prime Minister, Tun Endon established the Penyayang Foundation, a foundation with the mission of providing society with education, social welfare, research and health services. She also filled in the positions traditionally held by the wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, such as Head of Badan Amal dan Kebajikan Tenaga Isteri-Isteri (BAKTI) and Patron of the Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants Association (PUSPANITA). She was also notably active in promoting Malaysian traditional fabric art such as batik and songket. She had launched campaigns and exhibitions such as the ‘Batik Extravaganza’ in 2003 and the Malaysian Batik Movement, ‘Creation of the World’. 

Tun Endon was conferred the Honorary Doctorate in Humanities in August 2004 by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and received the Tun Fatimah Award by the National Council of Women’s Organisation on 2nd August 2004 for her service to the community. She was also appointed as the first Chancellor of Open University Malaysia on 16th December 2004. 

In 2003, Tun Endon was diagnosed with breast cancer, after her twin sister, Noraini, had been diagnosed with the same disease earlier and passed away in January 2003. After two years battling with cancer, Tun Endon drew her last breath at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, Seri Perdana, surrounded by her family. Her remains were brought to the Putrajaya Mosque for funeral prayers and were laid to rest at the Muslim burial grounds at Precinct 20, Putrajaya. 

On 6th June 2009, in conjunction with the birthday of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Tun Endon was posthumously conferred the Seri Setia Mahkota Malaysia (SSM) which carries the title ‘Tun’.