Wendy Rush, wife of OceanGate’s founder, has a tragic family connection to the Titanic. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor Straus, a co-owner of Macy’s department stores, and his wife Ida, who were prominent first-class passengers on the doomed liner. The couple perished when the ship sank in 1912, with Ida choosing to stay by her husband’s side as the Titanic went down. In a cruel twist of fate, Wendy’s own husband, pilot Stockton Rush, is listed as missing on OceanGate’s submersible, en route to surveying the Titanic wreckage.
Despite this terrible turn of events, Wendy has shown remarkable fortitude, contributing to three expeditions that have explored the Titanic wreckage in the past two years. She currently serves as communications director at OceanGate and has sat on the board of its charitable foundation for a considerable period.
Search efforts are currently underway to locate the missing submersible, named Titan, that carried Wendy’s husband and others to the survey site. In a further bid to assist the search, a diving robot has been dispatched to explore the Titanic’s depths. However, even if the submersible is located, the chances of it remaining intact are slim.
Wendy’s son, Richard Weil Jr., the president of Macy’s New York, continues the family’s illustrious legacy. The story of Isidor and Ida Straus has captured the public’s imagination, with their tragic tale being recounted in James Cameron’s 1997 epic movie, Titanic. Although the movie’s storyline was fictionalized, fans will remember the poignant scene featuring an elderly couple in bed, clinging to each other as the ship slowly sinks. Isidor’s body was later found, while Ida’s remains were never recovered.
Despite facing unimaginable heartache, Wendy Rush continues to display courage and resilience in the face of adversity. The world watches as the search unfolds, hoping for some semblance of closure for the families of those who have been lost.
