Philanthropist Ann Lurie, known for her benevolence and service to the medical field, will be remembered by all as she gave almost her entire life to food security, health care, and children and animal welfare, utilizing the $425 million net worth left by her late husband, Robert.
Ann and Robert H. Lurie, aka Bob, met each other when Ann moved to Chicago after divorcing her first husband, a wealthy lawyer, whom she married during her junior college year.
In an interview, she mentioned that she never wanted to marry someone wealthy because of her previous relationship.
Yet, then 31-year-old Robert, a business partner of real estate mogul Sam Zell, captured her heart when they met in an elevator of her Chicago apartment. At the time, Ann was working at Children’s Memorial Hospital.
They stayed together for two years before getting married in 1977 and had a total of six children: two before marriage and four after.
The duo then started their philanthropic activities by initially donating $100,000 yearly through the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Family Foundation, established in 1986.
Sadly, Robert suffered from terminal colon cancer in 1987 and eventually passed away on June 20, 1990, leaving behind his $425 million worth of assets that Ann utilized for community welfare.
Ann Lurie continued her late husband Robert’s legacy till her last breath
Ann Lurie was born on January 21, 1945, to parents mother Marion Elizabeth Blue, who was a Canadian, and father, who ran away when she was four years old.
So, her single mother, grandmother, and aunt raised her in middle-class Miami, Florida, teaching the decency and love one should have for others as Marion herself was a nurse.
With Ann Lurie, Mark Muheim & Dian Eller getting ready for our flight to Washington DC, where later this evening @LurieCancer Center’s Nav Chandel will receive the prestigious Lurie Award from the FNIH director.
— Leonidas Platanias, MD (@LeonidasPlatan1) October 18, 2023
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@NUFeinbergMed @NorthwesternU pic.twitter.com/DMDrDSZ7DG
Following her mother’s word, Ann pursued nursing at the University of Florida on a scholarship before moving to Chicago in 1973 to work at Children’s Memorial Hospital and meet Robert.
Ann and Robert together set up a framework for philanthropic pursuits by focusing on six major categories: research and medical services, food and home security, child medical organizations, arts, education, and animal welfare.
In 1988, FORBES estimated Robert’s net worth at $390 million, all from his real estate and business ventures with Sam Zell. Later, it reached $425 million.
So, to handle her husband’s fortune, Ann took crash courses on business dealings and accounting when Robert was just diagnosed with cancer. Thanks to that, Ann successfully took over Robert’s business with Sam Zell.
She then made philanthropy her major career and donated $100 million to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and $40 million to the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center.
It did not end there; she had also contributed $10 million to Millennium Park, $5 million to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and a few million to Robert’s alma mater, the University of Michigan.
After deducting all the expenses and taxes she had to pay, Ann Lurie still held a total net worth of almost $500 to 600 million.
She once mentioned that she would leave the fortune for her kids to handle after she passes away, which seems to have come soon as Ann Lurie passed away on June 24, 2024, at 79, due to brain cancer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
May Ann Lurrie’s gentle soul rest in peace. We at Superslice send our regards to her husband and family.
Additional Information
- Ann Lurie married her third husband, filmmaker Mark Muheim, on December 26, 2014. The ceremony was private and held at their home in Jackson, Wyoming.
- Ann Lurie had six children with Robert: Jesse, Sara, Andrew, Abigail, Benjamin, and Elizabeth Lurie. However, she did not have one with Mark.
- She was stepmother to Mark’s two sons. All of her family were present when Ann took her last breath, including her 16 grandchildren.
