Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate Expeditions, is one of the people lost in a submersible vessel owned by his company. The disappearance occurred several months after Stockton said he didn’t worry much about safety. “You know, at some point, safety just is pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed,” Stockton said in an interview on Mr. Pogue’s Unsung Science podcast.
Stockton Rush’s wife, Wendy Weil Rush, works on the communications and tracking team at OceanGate Expeditions
Stockton Rush and Wendy Weil married on 5th July 1986 in a Presbyterian church in Vail, Colorado. The wedding announcement in The New York Times described Wendy as a licensed pilot and substitute teacher in the California school system. It continued:
“[She] was formerly an account manager with Ladd Associates in San Francisco, a consultant to magazine publishers. She graduated from the Hotchkiss School and Princeton University.”
Wendy’s father, the outlet reported, was a professor of surgery, and her mother was a partner at a design firm based in Denver. When Stockton married Denver, he was an aerospace engineer for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation based in California’s Edwards Air Force Base.
Stockton and Wendy keep the details about their family life secret. The identities of their children are unclear. However, Wendy posted what we believe is a photo of the couple’s two kids on Facebook on 7th February 2016.
Wendy is the communications director and part of the communications and tracking team at OceanGate Expeditions, her LinkedIn page states. She also sits on the board of the OceanGate Foundation, having served as its president from 2017 to October 2021.
Wendy often advertises the exploration company on Facebook. “Fun to see OceanGate included as one of the uncommon businesses that make the Seattle area unique!” Since Stockton disappeared in a submersible vessel, Wendy hasn’t spoken or posted anything. As the communications director, she’s likely involved in the search and rescue operation.