Mary Bensen is the late wife of Australian former tennis player Rodney George Laver mostly called Rod Laver. Mary’s partner Rod Laver excelled in tennis and became the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969, and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era in 1968. He is one of the greatest players in world Tennis history.
Mary Bensen: Bio Summary
| Name | Mary Bensen |
| Date of birth | 23 January 1928 |
| Died | 12 November 2012 (aged 84) |
| Famous as | Rod Laver’s wife |
| Birthplace | DeKalb County, Illinois, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Rod Laver |
| Children | Rick Laver |
What Happened To Rod Laver’s Wife?
In De Kalb, DeKalb County, Illinois, USA, Rod Laver’s wife Mary Bensen was born Mary Shelby Peterson on the 23rd of January 1928. Unfortunately, Mary Bensen died on the 12th of November 2012, at home in Carlsbad, San Diego County, California, USA. She died at the age of 84 years after a long illness.
Mary Bensen’s Marriage To Rod Laver
Mary Bensen became Mary Bensen Laver after she got married to famous tennis player Rod Laver, the only person to have won a Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969; the latter remains the only time a man has done so in the Open Era.
Mary Bensen met Rod Laver at the Jack Kramer Club in the Los Angeles area. They stayed in touch with each other and soon began a romantic relationship. It was on June 20, 1966, in San Rafael, California that the wedding ceremony of Mary and Rod took place.
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At the time they got married, Rod Laver was 27 years old. Their wedding ceremony was a beautiful one. At the wedding, a group of famous tennis players including Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Mal Anderson, and Barry MacKay was present.
Standing outside the church, the players raised tennis rackets that formed an archway for the newlyweds to walk under as the couple made their way out. They have a son named Rick Laver, born three weeks after Rod finished the tennis Grand Slam in 1969, winning all four major tournaments that year.
Mary and her husband Rod Laver enjoyed their marriage as they lived in various locations in California: places like Rancho Mirage, Corona del Mar, a ranch near Santa Barbara, and Carlsbad.
Rod Laver revealed, “We had a wonderful life together. We did a lot of traveling, a lot of tennis tournaments, tennis events.” The couple’s love was still as new as the day they met each other. They were able to stay married for 46 years.
Their union which lasted over 4 decades didn’t seem to have issues of a growing distance between them. They remained faithful to each other and stayed married until death separated them. Mary’s demise in 2012, left Rod Laver widowed.
Rod Laver is now a widower. He is reportedly in a relationship with Susan Johnson. Before getting married to eight ‘Pro Slam titles’ winner Rod Laver, Mary Bensen had been divorced from a previous marriage. She was a divorcee and the mother of three children.
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What Happened To Mary Bensen’s Husband?
Mary Bensen’s husband Rod Laver suffered a stroke on 27 July 1998. This happened while he was being interviewed by ESPN-TV in the United States for their SportsCentury 20th Century sports retrospective series.
Rod Laver was then hospitalized for a month and suffered from memory and speech difficulties after the stroke, but recovered over the course of the following year.
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