Wife of missing submersible pilot is a descendant from Titanic couple who perished

Originally Published: 22 JUN 23 11:58 ET

Updated: 22 JUN 23 12:42 ET

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Wendy Rush, the wife the executive who piloted the submersible that has been the subject of a desperate search after it went missing during a dive to the Titanic wreckage, has a personal connection to the ship.

Rush is the is the great-great granddaughter of retailing magnate Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida, who were part of the group of more than 1500 people who died during the Titanic’s maiden voyage, according to New York Times archive records.

The couple were fictionalized by Lew Palter as Isidor and Elsa Raven as Ida in the Oscar-winning 1997 film “Titanic,” directed by James Cameron.

While several of the scenes focusing on them in the movie were cut, a scene featuring the characters clutching each other on a bed as the ship went down became notably memorable.

In reality the couple, who were traveling first class back home to the United States from their native Germany, were last seen by survivors standing together on deck holding hands before they were swept overboard by a wave, according to the UK government’s National Archives.

Wendy Rush, born Wendy Hollings Weil, is the great granddaughter of the couple’s daughter, Minnie Straus Weil.

Rush is the director of communications and an expedition team member for OceanGate, acccording to her LinkedIn profile. Her husband Stockton Rush is the company’s chief executive officer.

CNN has reached out to the company for comment.

Isidor Straus was a co-owner of Macy’s and the story of how they perished captured the attention of those interested in the story of the Titanic.

“On the night of 14 April, after Titanic had hit the iceberg, Isidor and Ida were directed to lifeboat eight. However, the aging Isidor refused to board the lifeboat while there were younger men being prevented from boarding,” according to the UK National Archives. “Ida also refused to get into the lifeboat saying, ‘Where you go, I go’. Her maid Ellen was put into the lifeboat and Ida gave Ellen her fur coat, saying she had no further use for it.”

Isidor Straus’s body was recovered and interred in New York’s Woodlawn Cemetery. His wife Ida’s remains were never recovered.

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