Kriti Mehrotra
With ABC’s ‘Fatal Dive to the Titanic: Truth and Lies’ delving into the June 2023 submersible implosion during an excursion to the passenger liner’s wreck, we get a documentary unlike any other. That’s because it comprises not only archival footage but also exclusive interviews to really underscore the way Titanic essentially claimed five more lives more than a century after it initially sank. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about this submersible’s founder turned victim Stockton Rush’s wife as well as her direct connection to the original vessel, we’ve got the details for you.
Who is Wendy Rush?
Although reportedly born as Wendy Hollings Weil in Denver, Colorado, to Polly and Dr. Richard Weil III in the 1960s, Wendy is actually the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus. This affluent couple had actually died aboard Titanic back in 1912 following their refusal to step into a lifeboat despite the fact they had seven children awaiting them, including Minnie Straus. The former was offered safety with a seat on the rushing boats as Macy’s co-founder, yet he refused to be made an exception while women and kids were still struggling in the biting, brutal cold.
According to Harlem World Magazine, Ida then also refuted since she was not willing to be separated from her husband for even a moment; she said, “As we have lived, so will we die, together.” So, per historical documentation, “Isidor and Ida Straus were last seen on [the front] deck arm in arm. Eyewitnesses described the scene as a ‘most remarkable exhibition of love and devotion.'” It was seven years prior to this horrific tragedy that their daughter Minnie had tied the knot with renowned Dr. Richard Weil in 1905, whose son then went on to serve as President of Macy’s New York.
Then came Dr. Richard Weil III and his eventual union with interior designer Polly while he served as a general/transplant specialist surgeon, which soon resulted in the birth of Wendy Hollings. From what we can tell, she graduated from the private, boarding, co-educational Hotchkiss School in Connecticut before moving on to conquer Ivy League Princeton University in New Jersey. Only then did she kickstart her career, first as an account manager with a magazine publishers consultancy in San Francisco and then as a licensed pilot plus substitute teacher in Lancaster, California.
It was then that Wendy tied the knot with commercial pilot turned fellow Princeton graduate turned aerospace engineer Stockon Rush in 1986, only for them to quickly welcome two kids into their lives. It hence goes without saying she was by his side every step of the way, whether he was doing wonders at the Edwards Air Force Base or innovating new techniques to fulfill his dreams as an explorer. Moreover, with her ancestral connection with Titanic, experience as a pilot, and skills as an educator, it appears as if she played a key role in not just his personal life but also his entrepreneurial establishments.
Where is Wendy Weil Rush?
From what we can tell, by the time tragedy struck on June 18, 2023, Wendy was proudly serving as the Communications Director at her husband’s 2009-founded exploratory business, OceanGate. She’d also participated in three expeditions to the Titanic wreckage herself since 2020, and she was unwaveringly continuing her work as a longtime board member of the firm’s charitable foundation.
However, since that fateful day, this widow has chosen to remain well away from prying eyes as well as possible trolls to heal from her harrowing loss in private. She has even gone as far as to remove all her social media platforms owing to the blame her husband was receiving for the submersible’s implosion, especially because he’d designed it. In other words, she prefers to lead a quiet life these days, which unfortunately means we have no information regarding her current personal or professional standing; all we know is that she’s likely trying her best to move on from the past while keeping Stockton alive in her heart.
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