Wendy Rush, whose husband Stockton Rush is the CEO of OceanGate and is currently missing on a submarine, has a tragic connection to the Titanic.
The New York Times reported that Wendy, whose maiden name is Wendy Hollings Weil, is a direct descendant of Isidor and Ida Strauss, two of the most prominent victims of the Titanic disaster in 1912.
Isidor and Ida Strauss were among the richest passengers on board the Titanic. Isidor was a former congressman and a co-owner of Macy’s department store with his brother Nathan. Ida was his wife of 41 years and his cousin.
They had seven children, one of whom died young. Wendy is a great-great-granddaughter of one of their daughters, Minnie, who married Dr. Richard Weil.
The couple’s love story was immortalized in the 1997 film “Titanic” by James Cameron, which showed a fictionalized scene of them embracing in their cabin as the ship sank. According to eyewitness accounts, the couple refused to be separated when the Titanic hit an iceberg and started to sink.
Ida reportedly gave up her seat on a lifeboat to stay with her husband, saying “Where you go, I go.” They were last seen holding hands on the deck of the ship.
In 2017, their great-grandson shared some details about their final moments on the Titanic, saying that Ida initially got on a lifeboat but got off when she realized that Isidor would not join her until all the women and children were saved.
