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Who Is Wendy Rush? Late OceanGate CEO’s Wife Is a Descendant of Titanic Victims
Days after the OceanGate submersible, The Titan, was reported missing, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed on Thursday, June 22, that the five passengers aboard the vessel died as a result of implosion. Among the victims was OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who had successfully completed the excursion numerous times before the fateful last voyage.
On top of his fascination with exploring the Titanic, Stockton had a unique connection to The Ship of Dreams ship through his marriage to Wendy Rush, who is a direct descendant of victims of the Titanic. Keep reading to learn more about Wendy, including her family and her job.
How Is Wendy Rush Related to Titanic Victims?
Wendy is reportedly the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus, The New York Times revealed on Wednesday, June 21. According to the outlet, the Strauses were first-class passengers on the ship destined for New York City. Both Isidor and Ida died after the ship struck an iceberg and sank in the north Atlantic Ocean on April 14, 1912.
It was reported that both Isidor and Ida were offered seats aboard the lifeboats, but Isidor refused to board until all women and children were evacuated, and Ida would not leave her husband. The pair were depicted in James Cameron’s 1997 Academy Award winning film as an elderly couple who held hands in bed as waters rose in their cabin.
What is Wendy Rush’s Job?
Wendy – who married Stockton in 1986 – worked alongside her late husband for more than a decade as president of OceanGate Foundation.
In 2021, she joined OceanGate Inc. as the company’s director of communications and expedition team member.
Does Wendy Rush Have Children?
While little is known about the couple’s personal lives, it appears they shared two children together, as Wendy shared a photo of a son and daughter via Facebook in 2016.
Who Else Was Aboard the Titan?
“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment,” the Coast Guard said in the press briefing after revealing that a debris field had been discovered at the bottom of the ocean. “The debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.”
Along with Stockton, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son, Suleman, and French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, were aboard the submersible on a mission to explore the ill-fated ship’s final resting place.
