Bob Feller - Later Life

Later Life

Feller and his wife, Virginia Winther, had three sons, Steve (b. 1945), Martin (b. 1947), and Bruce (b. 1950). After giving birth to Martin, Virginia was given the wrong blood type. She survived but was forced to live with anemia from then on and several prescription drugs, some of which she battled addiction with for the rest of her years with Feller. The couple were divorced in 1971. From the divorce settlement, Virginia received the house she and Feller had built. Virginia died on May 6, 1981, in her home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In retirement, Feller lived with his wife, Anne Feller, in Gates Mills, a suburb of Cleveland.

In June 2009, at the age of 90, Feller was one of the starting pitchers at the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame Classic, which replaced the Hall of Fame Game at Cooperstown, New York. Feller was treated for leukemia in August 2010. By October, Feller was fitted with a pacemaker and was diagnosed with pneumonia and thrush, an infection of the mucus membrane lining the mouth and throat. He was transferred on December 8 from the Cleveland Clinic to hospice care. On December 15, Feller died of complications from leukemia at 92.

Of Feller's death, Mike Hegan, Indians broadcaster and son of former Feller teammate and battery mate Jim Hegan, stated, "The Indians of the 40's and 50's were the face of the city of Cleveland and Bob was the face of the Indians. But, Bob transcended more than that era. In this day of free agency and switching teams, Bob Feller remained loyal to the city and the team for over 70-years. You will likely not see that kind of mutual loyalty and admiration ever again." In 2010, the "Cleveland Indians Man of the Year Award" was renamed the "Bob Feller Man of the Year Award.

On Opening Day of the 2011 season, the Indians invited Feller's widow, Anne, to present a silent first pitch. During pregame introductions, Cleveland players wore a No. 19-jersey in honor of Feller. For the entire 2011 season the players' uniforms were outfitted with an outline of Feller's pitching motion. The organization also made the press-box seat Feller would use when viewing games in his later years a permanent memorial.