Ann Lurie
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Ann Lurie (1944/1945 – June 24, 2024) was an American philanthropist and nurse who founded the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation with her husband Robert H. Lurie in 1986.[1] She grew up in Miami, Florida, studying nursing at the University of Florida and working as a nurse. In 1973, she was attracted by the diversity and culture of Chicago and moved there to work as a pediatric intensive care nurse at Children's Memorial Hospital, now named the Lurie Children's Hospital in honor of her contributions.[2] After her husband Robert Lurie's death in 1990, Ann Lurie dedicated herself to philanthropic work with her late husband's estate of $425 million. She became known for her generosity in health care, education, social services, and various other sectors, both locally in Chicago and worldwide. Notably, she donated large sums to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Greater Chicago Food Depository, PAWS Chicago, and more. In 2014, she remarried to filmmaker Mark Muheim in Jackson, Wyoming.[2] She died on June 24, 2024 at the age of 79 from complications from a recent illness, survived by her husband, her six children, 16 grandchildren, and Muheim's two sons.[3]
- She was president and treasurer of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation, founded in 1986.[2]
- Ann Lurie was president of Lurie Investments, the venture capital arm of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation that backs healthcare-related tech companies.[4]
- After going on safari in Africa, Lurie realized that many sick African children had nowhere to go to seek care. In response, she founded and served as president of Africa Infectious Disease Village Clinics, Inc. (AID Village Clinics), providing public health services to rural Kenyan communities through a mobile trailer equipped with sophisticated healthcare technology. This aided thousands of Kenyans both directly through the provision of healthcare and indirectly through the creation of jobs at the clinic. She funded this project with $8 million a year, which became unsustainable in 2012, forcing her to close down the clinic.[5]
