Marge Boesch Survivor Rudy Boesch Wife Dead

For the second time this season, an episode of Survivor Gabon has been dedicated to the memory of someone who has died. Last night’s episode was in memory of Marge Boesch, the wife of first-season contestant Rudy, the cranky old man who aligned himself with and befriended Richard Hatch. His wife, Marjorie E. Boesch, died Nov. 1 at the age of 76, and a memorial service was held Monday.

An obituary in The Virginian-Pilot mentions her work (She “was a retired unit secretary with Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital” and “also a volunteer for the Red Cross and served as secretary and treasurer for the UDT-SEAL Association”), but it doesn’t mention the cause of death. Elsewhere, a fan wrote in July that Marge was sick, but again didn’t mention what was wrong. There’s a condolences guest book on the funeral home’s web site.

Marge was married to Rudy for 53 years, and I found her to be a remarkably kind and engaging person when I met her in 2007, in Birmingham, Alabama, at one of Survivor Africa winner Ethan Zohn’s charity soccer tournaments. She clearly loved and supported Rudy, but also stood on her own, and was amusingly perceptive about the weird world of reality TV fame.