Who Was Lewis Gratz Fell, Aileen Wuornos’ Ex-husband?

Lewis Gratz Fell and Aileen Wuornos’ marriage was never meant to happen. Thank heavens it ended when it did as Fell may have well been the first person Wuornos murdered. The duo were only married for nine weeks before the marriage was annulled but so much happened within that time frame that you would wonder what actually drew them together in the first place.

Who Was Lewis Gratz Fell?

Lewis Gratz Fell was a Floridian man best known for being the ex-husband of Aileen Wuornos. While Fell may be rolling in his grave because we are still linking him with Wuornos, it’s impossible to avoid because of their short-lived marriage. He, however, lived a much more fulfilling life to be only known as the ex-husband of a serial killer.

Fell lived and made a living in Florida but he was originally from Pennsylvania. He was born in Philadelphia on June 28, 1907. Florence Biddle Addams and Robert Gratz Fell are the names of his parents while his siblings are Henry Fell, Robert Fell Jr., and Florence Fell.

By all indications, the Fell family did not look like they wanted for much. Lewis and his siblings were able to receive a good education before moving on to make a life of their own. Lewis chose to do this by moving to Florida where he is noted to have been a businessman and was evidently successful. We know this because he rose to become the president of a yacht club. Yachts are expensive to own and operate and you would have to at least own one, as well as be a person of repute, to be able to the named the president of a yacht club.

Fell was a Wealthy Businessman and Socialite

Lewis Gratz Fell didn’t have much to worry about in life as he was very successful. He also came from a wealthy family; his father founded Keystone Coal Mining Company where Fell worked for a long time. He would rise through the ranks to later become its president, following in the footsteps of his father.

In his old age, Fell was fully active in the social sector and was elected president of a yacht club in Florida.

Lewis Gratz Fell

His First Marriage was to Katherine Reeves

Lewis Gratz Fell repeatedly tried his hands at marriage and failed. Aileen Wuornos was his fourth unsuccessful marriage; it happened almost 50 years after his first marriage.

The businessman was first married to a woman identified as Katherine Reeves. The duo met as teenagers and eloped in 1928. Their union lasted for ten years before the troubles started. They had one daughter.

Fell’s Second Wife was Elizabeth Carpenter

A few months after he concluded divorce proceedings with Katherine, Lewis Gratz Fell met and fell in love with Elizabeth Carpenter. There appears to be a pattern in Lewis’ love life; he is very quick to fall in love and get married. He did it with Aileen, Katherine, and Elizabeth who he married very quickly. But just as quickly as they were to get married, so was it for them to call it quits. The marriage didn’t last and did not produce any children.

Lewis Gratz Fell’s Third Marriage was to Florence Bolger

Florence Bolger was the third woman to exchange vows with Lewis Gratz Fell. Details of how and when they met are not public knowledge, but it is stated that they got married in the 1950s. The third time was the charm for Fell as this union proved to be the longest. It lasted for about 20 years and only came to an end after Florence passed away in 1975.

He Married Ailen Wuornos in 1976

Lewis Gratz Fell probably thought he had met the woman he would spend the rest of his life with when he married Aileen Wuornos in May 1976. It was a whirlwind romance between the two because they met and got married within a year. Their nuptials, which made the society pages of local newspapers, happened in Florida and it was in the southern U.S. state that they lived for just a few weeks together before things began falling apart.

Lewis Gratz Fell

Fell was 69 years old at the time he married Wuornos who was just 20. She was evidently too young and hot-headed for him but the pros outweighed the cons for both of them getting together. Fell wanted a trophy wife; a young pretty woman he would flaunt about, while Aileen was desperate for the life of comfort that would come with marrying a rich old man. Things. however, didn’t go as planned as the couple got into multiple altercations.

On one occasion, Aileen Wuornos was reported to have used her husband’s cane to beat him up. This happened a few weeks after they exchanged vows. We don’t know what caused the fight but it was so bad that Fell got the authorities involved and took out a restraining order against his wife.

At this point, it was evident that the marriage was coming to an end, and on July 21, 1976, just nine weeks after walking down the aisle and signing on the dotted lines as husband and wife, Fell and Wuornos’ marriage was annulled.

Wuornos Killed Several Men and was Executed 

Aileen Wuornos grew up in Michigan, the state she returned to after her marriage to Lewis Lewis Gratz Fell was annulled. She had a horrible upbringing and lived a life of crime, which she easily went back to after her marriage fell apart.

Aileen had been offering sex in school in exchange for cigarettes, food, and drugs. She subsequently went fully into prostitution while still committing other crimes, including armed robbery, gun theft, car theft, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, etc. She was in and out of jail until she got pinched for killing seven men within 12 months.

Lewis Gratz Fell

Aileen claimed she killed the men in self-defense but that didn’t help her case as she was tried and sentenced to death. She was later executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002.

Lewis Gratz Fell Had Only One Child

Despite having been married four different times, Lewis Gratz Fell only had one child. He had a daughter named Katherine Royce Fell with his first wife. She was born in 1929. Katherine lived away from the spotlight, as such, nothing about her is known. If she is still alive today, she would be 96 years old.

He Died in 2000 at the Age of 96

Lewis Gratz Fell lived a more quiet life after his tumultuous marriage to Aileen Wuornos ended. He subsequently gave all his energy to his daughter and his club and lived to the ripe age of 96 before going to meet his maker. He died of natural causes on January 6, 2000.

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