Dan Rather’s Wife, Artist Jean Rather, Dies at 89: A ‘Rock of True Texas Grit’

Mar. 15, 2025

Dan Rather and wife Jean Rather in March 2014.Photo:Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Jean Rather, an artist and the wife of former television anchorDan Rather, has died. She was 89.

“Today is the saddest of days for Dan and the extended Rather family,” they wrote, adding that Rather died at their Austin, Texas, home that morning.

Jean Goebel and Dan Rather in April 2017.Paul Bruinooge/getty

Paul Bruinooge/getty

“She had been on hospice care for some time, but the news still comes as a shock for those of us who knew and loved her,” the post continued, asking all to keep the Rather family in their thoughts.

Jean “lived a full life as an incredible wife, mother, friend, and artist — and a true Texan," the statement read.

After graduating from Smithville public schools, Rather began her career and met Dan while working at a radio station in Houston. Throughout their nearly 67-year marriage, the couple lived in various parts of the world, including Dallas, Washington, D.C., London and New York City.

Jean Rather and Dan Rather in December 1982.Guy DeLort/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

Guy DeLort/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

The Rathers moved back to Texas in 2021.

“Jean was a steadfast advisor and rock of true Texas grit during every storm. She was also the kind of wife who could meet presidents, kings and queens, draft dodgers, criminals, and corporate suits every day with equal ease and a stunning smile," the statement continued.

Dan made Rather feel as though she was living out her dreams as a real-life Cinderella, the statement read.

“Jean was a tremendous mother and grandmother, making every game, cheering on every win, putting Band-Aids on every skinned knee, and serving as a confidante and friend to all her family members,” the tribute continued.

Although Rather presented herself in a “modest” way, she was still “a very accomplished artist” with paintings displayed across the U.S. at colleges and in galleries, the tribute noted.

Jean Rather and Dan Rather in June 2023.Cindy Ord/Getty

Cindy Ord/Getty

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to theAnn Richards School for Young Women Leadersin Austin.

While speaking to PEOPLE last June about the documentaryRather, Dan, 93, shared that his wife “was absolutely committed” to him during his decades-long career in journalism that took him all across the globe.

“The first year I was with CBS News, I was home 41 days out of the year. Forty-one days out of the year. Very hard to hold a marriage and a family together then,” he recalled.

Dan said Rather’s “fighting heart” was the glue in their relationship.

“‘Whatever it takes, we’re going to make it work.’ And maybe the saving grace was … [that] when I was home, I tried to hit the off switch. I tried to make every hour count with my children, Robin, my eldest, and Dan, my youngest. They grew up with it. And again, all credit to Jean to whom I’ve been married for 66 years now."

source: people.com