Buzz Aldrin, 95, loses wife after two years of marriage
In this DML Report…
Buzz Aldrin, 95, announced the death of his wife, Dr. Anca Aldrin, 66, who passed away peacefully Tuesday night surrounded by her husband and son, Vlad Ghenciu. The couple married on January 20, 2023—Aldrin's 93rd birthday—in a small, private ceremony at a local park near their home, attended only by the two of them under the stars. They met at a work event in December 2017 and began dating in May 2018 after two years of marriage, during which they shared meals, planned projects, spent time with family, and marked milestones like the 55th anniversary of Apollo 11.
Aldrin posted on Facebook through the Faur and Aldrin Families: "I am so fortunate to have found and married the love of my life. She brought joy to everything we did together. I will miss her dearly." He had previously described their bond: "never been happier," "lucky beyond words," and "the love of my life." Dr. Anca Aldrin held a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, served as treasurer for the California Hydrogen Business Council, and was Executive Vice President of Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC. Aldrin's prior marriages: Joan Ann Archer (1954-1974, three children: James, Janice, Andrew); Beverly Van Zile (1975-1978); Lois Driggs Cannon (1988-2012). He has one grandson (Jeffrey Schuss, from Janice), three great-grandsons, and one great-granddaughter.
(read more below)
Aldrin, with Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, launched July 16, 1969, on Apollo 11, becoming the second man on the Moon and famously saluting the U.S. flag. He retired from NASA in 1971, founded the ShareSpace Foundation in 1998 to advance crewed space exploration, battled post-retirement depression and alcoholism (sober over 40 years), and in 2002 punched a man demanding he deny the Moon landing on Bible. Aldrin has cameo appearances in The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, and 30 Rock; inspired Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear; authored books; and advocates Mars colonization for human survival via "great migration."