Ann Straube, 92, One of Last Survivors of Titanic Disaster

Ann Straube, 92, one of the last survivors of the Titanic disaster, died Tuesday at her Northwest Side home. Born in 1897, Mrs. Straube was 14 at the time of the disaster. She boarded the Titanic on April 14, 1912, in Southampton, England, with her Aunt Kate. The two had planned to take the ship to New York, where they were to meet Mrs. Straube’s parents and settle in the United States. The luxury liner never made it. The Titanic, heralded as the “pride of the British merchant fleet,” struck an iceberg only two hours into its maiden voyage and sank. The disaster claimed more than 1,500 lives, including that of Mrs. Straube’s aunt. 

“She never liked to talk about the incident,” said Mrs. Straube’s daughter, Mary Kapolnek. “It was a disaster she wanted to try and forget. The terror of the wreck, coupled with the death of her aunt, had been too much for her.”

Mrs. Straube was hospitalized in New York for almost a year after being rescued from a lifeboat.

She was married to Raymond Straube, who died in 1965. Other survivors include another daughter, Jackie Komay; 11 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. today at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 5212 W. Agatite. Burial will be at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines.

Chicago Sun-Times, Friday, February 2, 1990, p. 64