Lou Gehrig, an American professional baseball first baseman and MLB star, regarded his wife, Eleanor Grace Gehrigh, as his tower of strength.
The baseball legend passed away on June 2, 1941, 17 days before his 38th birthday, after years of suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, an incurable neuromuscular illness.
Lou Gehrig began experiencing symptoms as early as midway through the 1938 season; seeing his unstable health condition, his wife Eleanor called the Mayo Clinic, where doctors confirmed the diagnosis of ALS.
Furthermore, during Lou Gehrig’s hardest times, his wife, Eleanor Grace, stood by his side, providing unwavering support and caring for him throughout his life.
On July 4, 1939, after his retirement, Lou Gehrig delivered his “Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth” speech at Yankee Stadium, where he appreciated his wife Eleanor for her constant love and support, stating:
“When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed that’s the finest i know.”
Likewise, the couple tied the knot in 1933 and remained together until Lou’s last breath.
Even after Lou Gehrig’s demise, his wife Eleanor continued to promote his legacy, and the rest of her life was devoted to her late husband and his legacy.
Lou Gehrig’s wife, Eleanor Grace, contributed to Lou Gehrig’s disease research!
After the demise of Lou Gehrig, his wife, Eleanor Grace, continued to give her efforts in researching ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease, all her life before passing away at 80.
Moreover, Eleanor passed away on her 80th birthday in 1984, nearly 43 years after her husband’s demise.
Eleanor Twitchell was born in Chicago on March 6, 1904, to mother Mellie Mulvaney and Frank Twitchell.
Similarly, Eleanor was not just an amazing wife to Lou Gehrig but also a great philanthropist, socialite, sports executive, and memoirist.
After Lou’s demise, Eleanor took control of his estate. During World War II, she raised money for the cause by auctioning off some of her husband’s memorabilia, raising six million dollars.
She also worked with the American Red Cross Motor Corps and served as National Campaign Chair on the board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Moreover, Eleanor donated $100k to the Rip Van Winkle Foundation, which formed The Lou Gehrig Society, whose mission is to support research on ALS and the legacy of the Gehrigs.
She also donated $100k to Columbia University, which further established the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center on the school’s campus.
Likewise, Eleanor donated her husband’s remaining memorabilia to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, including an anniversary gift and bracelet from Lou Gehrig to his loving wife.
The bracelet comprises seven World Championship emblems, six All-Star Game charms, two MVPs, and one representing the film Rawhide starring Lou, and on the back has an inscription “To Eleanor, with all my love forever, Lou, Sept. 29, 1937.”
After one year of Lou’s passing, Eleanor was named the All-America Football Conference vice president, and she became the first female sports league executive in the United States.
In case you didn’t know
- Lou Gehrig began his professional career in 1923 with the New York Yankees of MLB and played until his retirement in 1939.
- He was born Henry Louis Gehrig on June 19, 1903, in 1994, on Second Avenue in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan to German parents Anna Christian Foch and Heinrich Wilhelm Gehrig.
- In 1976, his wife’s autobiography My Luke and I was turned into a television film A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story which was nominated for two Emmy Awards.
