According to records cited by The New York Times, Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, has a family connection to the Titanic. Wendy’s ancestors, Isidor and Ida Strauss, were wealthy first-class passengers who tragically lost their lives when the Titanic sank in 1912. Isidor was a co-owner of Macy’s department store at the time. Wendy is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida through their daughter Minnie, who married Dr. Richard Weil.
In the movie “Titanic” directed by James Cameron in 1997, a fictionalized portrayal of the Straus’ relationship was included. It depicted the couple holding each other as the ship sank. Survivors of the disaster recalled seeing Isidor and Ida together on the ship’s deck.
In 2017, their great-grandson shared some details about Isidor and Ida’s experience on the Titanic. He mentioned that Ida got into a lifeboat expecting Isidor to join her, but he insisted on staying behind until he knew that every woman and child on board had been saved.
