No one chooses to become a professional widow, and Eleanor Gehrig derived little satisfaction in being called one. Yet few ballplayers’ wives maintained a level of such prominence so long after their husband’s death as they had when he was alive. Mrs. Lou Gehrig was married less than eight years; she was a widow for nearly forty-three. Upon her passing, some headlines proclaimed her “First Lady of the Yankees,” for her constant presence at the team’s Old Timers’ Days spanning four decades.1
“We had achieved it for whatever brief moment that destiny had determined,” she penned in her autobiography, My Luke and I. “Whether joyful or sorrowful, brimming with high hopes or immense disappointments, I wouldn’t have exchanged two minutes of the delight and sorrow with that man for twenty years of anything with someone else.”
The film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, “The Pride of the Yankees,” naturally had Eleanor’s approval of the rights after her husband’s death. She never means to say sorry for not having love “before decades,” but their relationship between them didn’t need any special pathos when a mysterious fatal illness comes. True happiness proves to be fleeting when their son, a shy immigrant’s girl from Chicago society, and Lou Gehrig’s mismatched romance with Eleanor is trumpeted as the great American love story.
I knew that if I were to see the story of Lou Gehrig being handled correctly, it would haunt me and I wouldn’t be able to bear the memories that would come back. I can’t bring myself to look at the picture and think, “me,” knowing that those memories will come back and I won’t be able to bear them. You know when I first sat down in the projection room, “you know.
“That’s the extent of my admiration,” she proceeded, “I embraced the image in its entirety, just as it was created. I didn’t request a single removal or inclusion. Well.”
Sometimes life proves to be more powerful than art.
Frank was born in 1910 when his family settled down in South Side Chicago. Eventually, the family had moved around the country, and Frank had found his first job as a self-made man, working as a price-maker in the horse betting industry. He set odds to help support the family, as Eleanor’s younger brother, who was known for being poor and idle. Twitchell Frank truly made a name for himself.
The Twitchells climbed another rung on the social ladder when their patriarch became the manager of the well-known Café Heidelberg. His connections led him to being the official concessionaire of the parks in affluent South Shore, Chicago.
She returned home to stitch up her marriage. The reason Twitchell Frank reasoned, “So financially comfortable, she kept the family,” was because she wanted to divorce that guy she liked. A few years later, she attempted to speak with a divorce lawyer. Nellie Twitchell discovered an extramarital affair with his assistant, which became a headline in the newspaper. So, Frank Twitchell’s success was publicly known.
Eleanor, caught in the crossfire of increasing tension between her parents, didn’t recount her adolescence as a happy one. It was apparently fairly good for her to sneak into the Majestic or Palace to see the latest vaudeville show, play golf, ride horses, and spend her free time ice skating.
“I was not even a tomboy, engaging in all sports activities, when my schoolmates struck me as a waste of time with their delicate little-girl outfits and delicate little-girl conversations,” she wrote.
Eleanor set a record of twenty-one consecutive days of truancy while on her way to receiving an athletic scholarship at Columbia University. Similarly, Lou Gehrig set records for perfect attendance throughout his school years, highlighting his dedication as a student.
Mrs. John Torrio, the spouse of Al Capone’s predecessor, was one of her poker associates, and Eleanor had occasional meetings with the influential figures of organized crime at the racetrack and at the ballpark while she learned to tally. Dorothy, who was wedded to Harry Grabiner, the secretary and vice-president of the Chicago White Sox, was one of her dearest companions, along with Mary, who was wedded to Joe Grabiner, a highly productive professional gambler.
In the 1920s, I suppose I can say that while Chicago was engulfed in flames, I engaged in frivolous activities. Despite my youth and naivety, I indulged in smoking, poker, and consuming homemade gin, just like everyone else. Additionally, I received a weekly allowance of $5 from my father, which I managed to spend $100 of each week. To make up for the shortfall, I relied on winnings from winter-book jackpots at the racetrack, accumulating a substantial sum of nearly $10,000 in a dresser drawer at one point. Moreover, this period taught me the importance of being a generous tipper.
Frank Twitchell, who had become distant from his family, eventually left his hometown for New Orleans and unfortunately passed away from a stroke in 1934. “We were on the verge of financial ruin even before the Depression,” Eleanor remarked sarcastically. His attempt to keep the business was denied when his lease for the Chicago parks concessions was up for renewal. Maybe as a response to some unwise investments and mistresses who drained his finances, Frank Twitchell started consuming large quantities of Scotch, despite not being a heavy drinker before. However, this lifestyle couldn’t be sustained, similar to the extravagant times of the Roaring ’20s.
Eleanor found work immediately as the secretary for the planning committee of Fair World’s upcoming Chicago, which had a 50% salary increase. Eventually, she was sacked by Miss Twitchell at Saks in 1931 because the store could no longer afford to keep employees and the personnel director was firing people. Even though she was jobless and destitute for seven months, Eleanor was still pulling in $30 a week. When the stock market crashed in March 1929, many employees at Saks’ Fifth Avenue branch in Chicago were left jobless and destitute. Eventually, Eleanor landed a job as the general manager at the Chicago branch, replacing the previous secretary. She had a few months of experience in shorthand and white race books from Gregg Business School. Upon diagnosis of a mild heart condition, Eleanor scaled back her nights of going to nightclubs and parties. She replaced her nights out with reading Voltaire and Tolstoy.
In June 1925, he had not missed a day of work since he turned his scholarship in football at Columbia University into a full-time position as first baseman with the New York Yankees, earning a high salary to support his German-born working-class parents who lived in a tenement in Westchester Heights, a suburb of Washington. “Can you spare a dime, brother?” Lou Gehrig asked, among the fortunate few who were gainfully employed at a young age.
Twitchell Eleanor became acquainted with Lou Gehrig through extended personal interactions with at least two accounts. In 1935, I co-wrote a memoir called “official” with Joseph Durso, which benefits from contemporary recollections. It lacks the popular and exaggerated puffing often found in old-time nonfiction. They may have met at a party in the fall of 1927. It could have been because they were both guests of the Grabiners, who frequently visited Eleanor’s favorite park, Comiskey Park.
“That young man has a promising future,” she was informed.
In 1931, when Eleanor’s poker partner Kitty McHie insisted that she visit her luxurious apartment for a beer, their interaction was limited. She mentioned that Lou Gehrig would also be present.
Eleanor penned, “And, as fortune would have it, exceedingly introverted.”18 “The ‘reserved individual’ unexpectedly transformed into the courageous one, singled me out, and dedicated the entire duration to showering me with a reserved man’s interpretation of enthusiasm.”19 “Tall, attractive, accomplished, I thought. All those qualities.”
The Yankees had a midnight curfew, regardless of the rush, and the one who always followed the rules was Gehrig. Being obliged to leave, he kindly offered to accompany Eleanor on her way home, but suddenly he bid her good night and vanished into the darkness.
In the following year, a series of letters followed that developed into a romantic relationship. A diamond-cut crystal necklace, which he had brought back from a thrilling journey, arrived for Eleanor from Japan a week later. However, it was evident to only a few that Gehrig had romantic intentions. Eleanor was taken aback by this demonstration of affection—or rather, the absence of it.
“Indeed,” is the response and Eleanor finally interjected, stating “Darling, I understand your intention,” Gehrig “started to stammer to himself, uttering unintelligible phrases” while returning home after having dinner with an acquaintance from Detroit, as mentioned in the Collier’s publication, there might not have been a formal proposition.
In the morning, Lou showed up outside her office window, following a misunderstanding over the telephone the previous night. Eleanor and I present a much more dramatic picture in My Luke.
We went to Hotel Drake for breakfast, where we planned and discussed whom to propose to. I don’t remember who I proposed to. After arriving at the Century Progress staff’s workplace in the Grant Park center, we passionately kissed. Then, we raced downstairs and I did a double-take when I saw the whole staff of Century Progress in front of us. They had a mile-wide grin and motioned me to come with open arms.
“Adhering closely to the script in the most clichéd manner possible,” he achieved a great success, without a doubt, as she accompanied him to Comiskey Park later that day.
The press devoured information about the upcoming nuptials and speculated about the bride-to-be, who was sometimes erroneously reported to have always been a huge fan of baseball and attended the University of Wisconsin. Articles were written speculating about her, and photos of Eleanor, the woman who had won the heart of the most eligible bachelor in the Yankees, were plastered alongside the daily Yankees-White score box.
While attempting to compensate for her deficiencies in culinary skills, Eleanor supposedly employed a German chef after getting married. Lou simply chuckled and remarked, “Mom takes care of the meals for the boys.” Babe Ruth enjoys them, but I personally cannot tolerate them.” Eleanor had come across numerous accounts of Gehrig’s affinity for pickled eels, which caused her to fret that her complete lack of knowledge on how to even start preparing them would negatively impact his performance and jeopardize their relationship. Dealing with false information and partially accurate statements was an inherent part of being associated with a famous individual and was frequently encountered.
Lou’s parents presented a larger hurdle. None of them knew that Eleanor would feel quite comfortable in the Gehrig family home, where she could converse in German. Christina, the daughter-in-law to-be, frequently clashed with her borderline Oedipal son, Gehrig. Yet another intruder swooped in to steal her only surviving child, Eleanor, and before that, Lou’s previous relationships with women had been broken up, making Eleanor feel like a formidable “wrestler lady,” as Gehrig put it.
In the days leading up to the scheduled wedding on the following Saturday evening, Eleanor would stay with her uncle and aunt in Freeport. However, by the time they reached the ferry across Long Island Sound on Saturday evening, Eleanor had reconciled with her fiance. They decided to call off the engagement and instead of staying with her relatives, Eleanor and her fiance agreed to move into an apartment in New Rochelle with the Gehrigs, while they searched for a new place. This decision was made to ensure a smooth transition for Eleanor.
30 people almost didn’t attend Gehrig’s Mom; the only player in attendance for the Yankees was Bill Dickey; the following day, a small reception was planned to be held in Long Island, where Lou went 0-for-4 in the afternoon game at Yankee Stadium; then, the newlywed couple was escorted to the stadium in the mayor’s motorcade. Within minutes, on their way to pronounce them husband and wife in the midst of a tangled mass of furniture and dust, Mayor Rochelle of New Rochelle picked them up. Lou burst into tears when he saw Gehrig’s Mom coming up to them, the latest row between them. Eleanor, directing the carpet-layers and plumbers around their new apartment, was picking up the receiver. They were married on Friday, September 29, before the day they were supposed to be married.
Lou informed Eleanor that their elderly years were entrusted to her. Subsequently, he passed his checkbook to her. Lou decided to allocate all of his savings to a trust fund for his mother, demonstrating his commitment to his parents.
After the game, he chose to park his car closer to the main entrance of Yankee Stadium so that he could sign autographs, instead of avoiding it. He immediately agreed to sign, even though he used to be afraid of negotiations. However, she persuaded him to wait until Spring Training to negotiate for a higher salary on his annual contract. Eleanor, who used to be reluctant to spend money, had no hesitation in buying a new wardrobe from Abercrombie & Fitch to replace her husband’s worn-out clothes. Just like his image, which had some imperfections, he also had some flaws.
“I can’t get the base first with you,” Fisher, the co-songwriter, inspired by a forgettable song she even loved music. He would get excited about Wagner because he could understand German, where Eleanor also introduced him to opera, particularly culture and arts.
33. June, the wife of Lefty Gomez, also had an unfavorable reaction to some of highfalutin Eleanor’s remarks. “You’re going to be better off if you learn that you’re not Lou Gehrig,” Eleanor said. “I’ve just been lucky to have him. I have nothing to do with all the home runs and honors,” Lazzeri Tony’s wife, Mrs. Eleanor, reminded her. Mrs. Eleanor recalled a particular incident at the ballpark where she was reminded of her place. There were times when Eleanor was impressed by the fact that Mrs. Lou Gehrig was she. Mrs. Maye Lazzeri, Tony’s wife, became a little too enamored with her suddenly public life.
“34. Eleanor was incredibly beautiful. She received admiration from the press and fans at every step. After losing their husbands prematurely, Eleanor and Mrs. Lazzeri became close. However, Eleanor found it easy to lose perspective and she was young, so I realized that.”
After melting down Eleanor’s bracelet, Gehrig had amassed all the hardware he later years from his various accomplishments and appearances, including All-Star appearances, world championships, pennants representing his team, and numerous awards such as pins, sticks, and rings. Perhaps it is no coincidence that in his first season after getting married in 1934, Gehrig was completely captivated by his new bride. He went on to win the Triple Crown with 49 home runs and a batting average of .363, along with 165 RBIs.
It was obvious how each person related to the moods and habits of others, especially as a new couple. When Rochelle picked him up from the ballpark, they could instantly tell by Lou’s demeanor that he had a rough day, possibly because the Yankees lost. Eleanor could understand that he could be overly sensitive. She knew that there was another side to him, which she came to understand through her connection with Gehrig.
37. When he found out that Lou Gehrig had refused to accept any sort of peace offering from the Bambino, who had just completed his final game in pinstripes, Eleanor feared that she had gone overboard with her hours of searching for the “missing” Ruth. She ran into Claire’s cabin, where she found Ruth inviting her for a drink onboard the ship. The twins, barely speaking to each other, were on a tour of Japan with several other major league stars, embarking on a barnstorming tour. The rift between Gehrig and Ruth, once idol and friend, may have widened due to Eleanor’s inadvertent callousness, like a figure surrounded by an empire of champagne and caviar, sitting resplendent like Buddha.
On his thirty-sixth birthday in June 1939, Lou Gehrig made a pact with Eleanor that he would hang up his spikes, whether he was playing poorly or well. According to their agreement, the Gehrigs extended their tour across the Orient, making stops in London, Paris, Munich, Rome, Naples, Cairo, Bombay, and Singapore, traveling around the world.
In 1939, Eleanor Gehrig, Lou Gehrig’s mother, had spoken of the possibility of adoption, but she said she wouldn’t have any grandchildren if she didn’t want to. However, they were looking forward to starting a family and may have had trouble conceiving. Perhaps they had never had children before.
He was extremely upset when Eleanor fully adorned their new apartment in Larchmont (where they relocated from New Rochelle a couple of years later). Additionally, he was quite superstitious. Gehrig felt uneasy with the unpredictability of a baseball player’s existence, particularly during the era when team owners had control over players due to the reserve clause.
“41. Eleanor returned to an uproarious evening at the ballpark, embarrassed grin on her face and wearing a giant horseshoe around her neck. She suggested that they hang flowers of horseshoe around his neck, all but appalled at Gehrig’s response. Playfully, she urged him to quit at 1,999 and make it headlines, saying that they’ll all quit with him. Gehrig, their cleanup hitter and captain, was on the verge of playing his 2,000th game, in the middle of the Yankees’ third straight championship season in 1938. And of course, he never knew that he might be traded in that moment,” said My God, I know you
Lou had been losing his balance on the ice skates more frequently than usual. Stepping off the curb, he made an unnatural “clump” with his foot, inexplicably slipping through his strong hands and noticing little things in the kitchenware at home. Maybe it was just his age, or perhaps it could be attributed to poor mechanics, but there were prolonged slumps in his batting. As spring turned into summer, Lou laughed less, even in spite of the continued success of the Yankees.
He penned Eleanor: He believed that he was negatively impacting the team by voluntarily withdrawing himself from the Yankees roster following an impressive streak of 2,130 consecutive games on May 2, 1939 in Detroit. Eleanor harbored concerns about a potential brain tumor. Despite devoting additional time to conditioning during Spring Training, his physical appearance deteriorated. A medical professional identified Gehrig’s ailment as a problem with his gallbladder during the period between baseball seasons.
If I were to contemplate and question myself, I could possibly prove my worthiness. However, I feel inferior because I didn’t know that you are the bravest kind of partner. Before the game, I broke because of my own insecurities. The most important and underlying thought was how you would affect everything. I constantly had thoughts of you and dreaded the day, even though it was inevitable.
He went when he was 44 years old. And he said, “my friend,” she asked her husband if he would do a favor for her. She arranged secretly for Lou to deviate from the road trip to Rochester and fly to the facility. She had contacted a friend of Eleanor’s at the Mayo Clinic.
The bedroom door shut Eleanor and the telephone rang. The prognosis was disclosed on the day that close companions of Lou’s, Mary, and sportswriter Fred Lieb and his spouse, invited over Eleanor.
“Upon her return, she mentioned that there seems to be an issue with his spinal cord and something is seriously amiss with him. She shared with me what the Dutchman had just said to her, ‘Ellie, don’t fret, I have an equal chance of survival’—as if he were casually inquiring about the weather in Westchester County. I suppose I could use a strong drink, a truly potent one.”
Eleanor already knew that her husband had been diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a chronic and irreversible type of infantile paralysis. The doctors at Mayo Clinic informed her that it was a fifty-fifty chance for her husband’s career to be over, as the disease was incurable and had already caused irreversible damage. So, she was not surprised when the doctors told her about his condition.
The date was June 19, 1939—Lou’s thirty-sixth birthday.
46. Standing before the masses at Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig, the man considered the luckiest on earth, thanked everyone who had made a difference in his life, including Eleanor, the woman who had shown him more courage and strength than a towering fortress. It had been two weeks later, on July 4th, when he acknowledged how grateful he was.
Gehrig, a non-playing captain with the Yankees, traveled with the team from the end of the 1939 season until he was offered a job at the New York City Parole Commission by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, which required the municipal employees of the Gehrigs to satisfy the residency requirements of the Riverdale section in the Bronx, where they relocated to a two-story house.
After her husband’s illness took a turn for the worse, she became a sort of gatekeeper at Mayo Clinic, secretly conspiring with doctors to keep his prognosis hidden. She no longer could drive him to Manhattan every day, chauffeuring him to the lower part of the city. She no longer could strike a match to light his cigarettes. She no longer could turn the pages of his books. She no longer could grasp a pen to sign his name or type his dictated letters. From then on, Eleanor became both his personal assistant and secretary, taking dictation and typing letters for him.
“At the time she wrote, I feel like we must all lie mad, adding mental torture to the horrible experience he is going through; there is no point, I want to keep him on a thread of hope.”
He wouldn’t have permitted it,”50. He wouldn’t have permitted it.”50 what I was about to experience, he wouldn’t have permitted it.”50 and discovered what I was about to experience, he wouldn’t have permitted it.”50 and discovered what I was about to experience, he wouldn’t have permitted it.”50 a deception, he displayed enough of an act that he genuinely believed it.49 He was the kind of person who, if he believed he would become a burden to me, he might take that additional medication,” Eleanor justified years later. If Gehrig ever completely understood that it was all
During the final two years, of course, Lou Gehrig, the old Yankees teammate and sportswriter John Kieran, and other frequent visitors such as Tallulah Bankhead, Fred Fisher, and Pitzy Katz, including comedian neighbors, were constant guests at Lou’s bedside. Meals were delivered to him when he was confined to his bed. Nellie Twitchell, a maid, was hired to assist with Lou’s care, while a butler was also brought in. Despite Lou’s deteriorating condition, distractions were staged by the Gehrigs to keep his spirits up, despite the doctors’ concerns.
On the night of June 2, 1941, Lou was surrounded by his parents and his mother-in-law as he gradually grew weaker. Eleanor, never leaving his side, described his decline as similar to a great clock winding down. Eventually, he peacefully passed away.
“The most sanctified expression instantly spread across Lou’s face,” wrote Eleanor, “and I knew the exact moment he had departed.”
The Associated Press reported that Eleanor was remarkably calm and composed during the private funeral, which took place two days later. The reverend said that about 100 people attended the short affair and knew him well.
“Mrs. Lou Gehrig” was consistently introduced as Eleanor, but it became evident that she was not doing well. Her method of dealing with grief was to dedicate herself to advancing her husband’s legacy, acting as his representative and bridging the gap between him and all those who had admired the legendary Iron Horse during his lifetime.
56 Eleanor penned, which might elucidate why she never entered into matrimony again, “The spouse of a renowned champion experiences a disquieting grief in the public eye.” When your spouse’s renowned presence lingers over each of your responsibilities, who could conceivably dedicate themselves to another?
“In the long nights behind my closed door, I never thought I would find peace 57 times. However, I was asked to lay cornerstones, give speeches, and raise funds for charities. Whenever they wanted, Lou paid tributes to me, and everyone expected me to give speeches and appear as they desired. She continued to be concerned about appearances during the first few years, and I kept everything right up as far as possible.”
The Pride of the Yankees was the first big test. Eleanor received $30,000 for the rights to Samuel Goldwyn’s production studio’s story of Gehrig. Gary Cooper played Lou (I felt like he was my husband in that picture, and everyone had studied his mannerisms in every picture when times were tough, I couldn’t bear it). Teresa Wright, a twenty-four-year-old, played Lou’s picture.
“Could they object to that, I wonder?” Teresa thought. “But then no woman could be younger and more attractive than her, of course. I know now that I could do just as well or even better. Maybe I should gain more experience by working with an actress like Barbara Stanwyck or Jean Arthur,” Teresa contemplated. “Barbara once said to me that she felt I was too young. Sam was the first person to tell me that.”
Incorporating both Cooper’s and Wright’s portrayals, the film earned more than $3 million and secured a spot among the top ten movies of 1942, receiving eleven Oscar nominations. In order to enhance the authenticity, Eleanor provided several personal belongings to be utilized in the making of the film, which included the bracelet Lou had crafted specifically for her.
During World War II, Eleanor II, who also joined the local Red Cross and received presidential recognition for chauffeuring disabled individuals, raised over $6 million by auctioning off some of Lou’s memorabilia. She used wholesome, all-American imagery of Gehrig to sell war bonds.
In 1946, Eleanor Walsh, ironically, resigned from her position as president of the bank because she couldn’t even balance her own account. Afterward, she somehow managed to secure a position as the first female secretary-treasurer with the Conference Football All-America, thanks to her husband’s promotion as an agent.
Eleanor made her greatest contribution through her tireless efforts to promote ALS research, but she couldn’t bring Lou back. She testified before Congress to fund research for various debilitating paralytic diseases, including ALS, and partnered with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to try to slay the “tyrant” that had killed him. She remains a hub for clinical trials and treatment for ALS and related paralytic diseases at Columbia University’s Multidisciplinary Care Center, the alma mater of Lou Gehrig.
After a long time, Nellie Twitchell moved into an apartment on East Fifty-Third Street and Third Avenue in Chicago, as she sent her mother back to Third Avenue and Fifty-Third Street. However, she often felt a lack of companionship, which gnawed at her.
“Meanwhile, Eleanor penned, “I felt completely isolated, as even the most intimate companion that a pair has in common feels particularly distant when one is only half of a couple.”
Scrubwomen or famous individuals, hall boys or champions, all upon whom she rained her love, no one could love her partner-life longer. “Also!” She was a widow. Eleanor wrote, “Mrs. Twitchell’s sunny presence helped Eleanor heal after all.”
62. Eleanor Gehrig could show me a few shortcuts to get back on the path of the world, away from the bleak detours. I realized that my own widow mother was the ticket.
A dispute arose over the division of Lou’s estate, as Eleanor, the executrix of his will, believed that Christina and Heinrich, Lou’s parents, were withholding payments from a $20,000 life insurance policy and monthly payments from investments and stock that Lou had bequeathed. Eleanor privately settled the matter in August 1943, suing for $5,188.53, as she believed that Gehrigs never resolved the discord between them. Lou left behind assets totaling $171,251, which included the monthly payments and interest received from the life insurance policy and investments.
Another disagreement arose over Lou’s ashes as Eleanor quietly worked on a plan to move them underneath the Baseball Hall of Fame in Kensico Cemetery. Since she had grown tired of the throngs of fans crowding his grave daily, she favored a plan to start a shrine for Lou when word leaked in the newspapers about her swiftly changing her mind and further distancing herself from Christina Gehrig’s legal control that mother Lou’s didn’t feel much mattered.
Another time, she let a cigarette catch fire and almost set the mattress ablaze. George Pollack, her attorney and friend who would become the executor of her estate, became worried once he found her passed out drunk when he rushed to the hospital. Eleanor seemed to have little regard for her own personal safety as she sometimes heavily drank. As she grew older, she retreated into her apartment, locking herself away and spending days with no one to console her but her own memories. She became a social butterfly once, but now she spent her days in a cocoon, isolating herself from the outside world.
She ended up losing a minimum of $35,000 because Eleanor had sold the film rights to her life story for Pride of the Yankees, resulting in the studio buying them back. The film, titled A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story, featuring Blythe Danner and Edward Herrmann, was broadcasted on NBC in 197867 and received mixed reviews. The success of the accompanying book led to a television movie. In an attempt to uplift her spirits, a caring Pollack urged her to write a memoir, which my Luke and I supported, providing her with some relief.
Eleanor Gehrig died on her eightieth birthday, March 6, 1984, leaving behind no survivors and only a few close friends. Despite the expectation of a large turnout for the public figure’s death, only mourners were in attendance at her funeral. Dorothy, his wife, and Pollack assembled at Kensico Cemetery, where a sizeable tent had been set up.