Wife of dead submersible pilot is descendant of Titanic couple who perished

Wendy Rush, the wife the executive who piloted the submersible that imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreckage, killing all on board, has another personal connection to the ship.

Rush 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 fictionalised by Lew Palter as Isidor and Elsa Raven as Ida in the Oscar-winning 1997 film Titanic, directed by James Cameron.

READ MORE: All five passengers on board missing Titanic submersible dead after 'catastrophic implosion'

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 travelling 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 was the company's chief executive officer.

READ MORE: 'True explorers' mourned after undersea wreckage found

CNN 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.

READ MORE: Director James Cameron on 'surreal' similarities between sub destruction and Titanic disaster

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