Mark Koenig - Personal Life

Personal Life

Koenig was born on July 19, 1904 in San Francisco, California. His father, Charles Koenig, and paternal grandfather William were both bricklayers, with the latter having immigrated from Germany to the United States. His mother Stella was of Swiss descent. Koenig had two brothers and a sister, and, during his childhood, he first met and played baseball with fellow San Franciscan and future teammate Tony Lazzeri. He attended Lowell High School in his hometown, but dropped out at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in baseball. His high school eventually bestowed upon him his diploma in 1988. Koenig, who was 83 at the time, described the honour as a complete surprise.

In June 1928, Koenig got engaged to Katherine Tremaine, whom he married at the end of that year's baseball season. Together, they had one daughter, Gail, who was born in 1930. He later remarried Doris Bailey, who died in 1979. He appeared as himself in The Pride of the Yankees, an Academy Award-winning movie released in 1942 that pays tribute to his fellow Yankees teammate Lou Gehrig. After his baseball career ended, he settled back in his hometown and took up several jobs, namely owning gas stations and working as a brewer.

Beginning in 1982, Koenig's health began to deteriorate. In addition to the lung cancer that had developed, he also suffered from gout, poor eyesight and back pain that necessitated the use of a cane. Because of these ailments, he moved to Orland, California in 1986 in order to live with his daughter and her family. He died of cancer on April 22, 1993 in Willows, California at the age of 88 and was cremated. He had outlived his two wives and was survived by his daughter, five grandchildren and nine great-granchildren. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of the 1927 New York Yankees starting lineup, nicknamed "Murderers' Row".