COLUMBUS, Ohio — Annie Glenn, the widow of U.S. Senator and NASA astronaut John Glenn, died Tuesday from complications related to COVID-19, according to Ohio State University.
Married to American hero John Glenn for 73 years, the lifelong Ohioan was a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities.
The university said Annie Glenn died near St. Paul, Minnesota, where she had moved to be in a senior living facility near her daughter.
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, died in 2016 at the age of 95.
Annie Glenn was an advocate and educator in communication disorders and has rarely appeared in public since her husband's death.
She will be buried with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.
The John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University threw a small 97th birthday celebration for her in 2017, shortly after her husband died, where she said she missed her lifelong companion “terribly.”
“Our Ohio State community joins the entire nation in mourning the loss of Annie Glenn, a wonderful person, courageous spirit and deeply devoted citizen, mother, grandmother and loving friend,” said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake.
John Glenn had already been awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, but a resolution urging Congress to award the Glenns a joint medal is pending in the Ohio Legislature.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
