Babe Ruth's Last Surviving Daughter Dies Months Before 103rd Birthday
The most famous name in baseball history isn’t difficult to guess. Even those who are less sports-savvy can name the legend known as Babe Ruth.
Whether we’re seeing him referred to as “The Great Bambino” and other such titles in the 1993 film “The Sandlot” or simply talking baseball in general, no doubt most people young and old are familiar with the Hall of Fame Yankee.
And none probably more so than his last surviving daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens. The co-author of several books about her father, Stevens loved to tell the tale of the slugger’s legacy.
Sadly, just months before her 103rd birthday, Stevens passed away on March 9, 2019, at an assisted living facility in Henderson, Nevada at the ripe age of 102, The New York Times reported.
“He was a marvelous dancer…had perfect timing…and he taught me how to dance…and I loved dancing with Daddy.” ~ Julia Ruth Stevens reminiscing about her baseball legend father Babe Ruth. #MLB #History pic.twitter.com/w8JQwhWHYj
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) March 10, 2019
Many might not know that Stevens was adopted by Ruth following his marriage to Stevens’ mother, Claire, after the death of his first wife Helen in 1929.
“I couldn’t have been happier,” Stevens said in an interview, talking about her adoption by the beloved baseball player.
RIP Julia Ruth Stevens, last surviving child of Babe Ruth, 102. She born in 1916 while her father was with the #RedSox. Once asked about “the Curse,” she said “Daddy loved baseball. He’d never put a curse on a baseball team” – https://t.co/6zIGWimVq2 #MLB pic.twitter.com/5ZfK6Ik6v5
— Red Sox Nation Stats (@RSNStats) March 10, 2019
“It was so wonderful,” she went on. “Because he had been around for quite a while and I loved him and he loved me and it was just absolutely the greatest moment of my life.”
Even after her dad passed, Stevens never strayed far from the ballpark. She loved to make appearances and even pitched the first ball at a Fenway Park Red Sox game in 2016 to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Long Ball City wishes to express its sympathy to the family of Julia Ruth Stevens, the last surviving child of baseball icon Babe Ruth, who died Saturday at the age of 102. pic.twitter.com/kNG4QCB0up
— Long Ball City ⚾️? (@LongBallCity) March 10, 2019
A memorial post was shared on Facebook’s Babe Ruth Central page to honor a life well-lived. The words her family shared are a great testament to Stevens’ legacy.
“Julia was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother who lived a wonderful, full life during the 102 years that she was with us,” the post reads.
Julia Ruth Stevens died Saturday at an assisted living facility in Henderson, Nevada, after a short illness. https://t.co/jJaYN80MkG pic.twitter.com/5qyff6GNlX
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) March 11, 2019
The post goes on to say how Stevens “was very proud to call him ‘Daddy’ and she particularly loved recalling events from 1934 when she went on a ’round the world’ tour with her parents.”
What a truly amazing woman she was, and no doubt The Babe himself would have been proud of all she did in the years after his passing.
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