Kelly Ripken is a professional public speaker, fundraiser, and event planner. She is also a passionate advocate for women’s health, education, and wellness. Despite having a thriving career of her own, she is more recognized as Cal Ripken Jr.’s ex-wife.
In recent times, Ripken became one of the most talked-about women to be associated with a renowned sportsperson. For almost three decades; she was known to be the wife of a distinguished author, former American baseball player, and businessman Cal Ripken Jr. However, their 29-year-long marriage came to an end in 2016 following irreconcilable differences.
Everything Interesting About Kelly Ripken
1. She is 66 Years Old
Kelly Ripken, 66, was born on March 26, 1959, as Kelly Geer in Mount Holly, New Jersey, in the United States. Her parents are known to be Robert and Joan Marie Geer. Although she was born in New Jersey, she grew up in Cockeysville alongside her older siblings, Mike, and Holly.
Furthermore, Kelly attended Dulaney High School in 1977 and went on to the University of Maryland College Park. In 1981, she graduated from the University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications.
2. Kelly is an Advocate for Women’s Health
As was already said, Kelly Ripken is an ardent advocate of women’s well-being and education. She has worked to better many people’s lives in the Baltimore-Washington region, particularly those of women and children, for more than 30 years through nationally renowned public service and charity endeavors.
Kelly is also a vocal and well-respected supporter of thyroid disease awareness due to her early diagnosis of Grave’s Disease, an autoimmune condition that causes the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Her health condition got so bad that it made her to quit her job as an agent in the VIP lounge of Piedmont Airlines. She frequently speaks on the subject and did so at a gathering at the U.S. Capitol over the demand for obligatory thyroid blood testing for every year of health insurance coverage.
Kelly is also a well-known public speaker, fundraiser, and event organizer. She frequently makes appearances on radio and television programs as a result of her work in public service, and she has done so on a number of regional and national programs, including Good Morning America. A variety of print media have frequently featured her as well, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Baltimore Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, and The Washington Post.
3. She Had a Stint in Modelling
In the early 1990s, Cal Ripken Jr.’s ex-wife played around with modeling. She got involved in a holiday show for I. Magnin in Rockville. This modeling career also involved her then-2-year-old daughter, Rachel.
In addition to the holiday show, Kelly also modeled for Eleanor Brenner during the New York runway show. Though she admitted to enjoying the new-found love in the spotlight, Kelly did not take it seriously.
4. She Met Cal Ripken Jr. through Her Mother
Kelly and Ripken met at a cocktail nightclub, but first, it was Kelly’s mother who asked for his autograph for her daughter. Then Ms. Geer did not know who the baseball player was at the time but got to meet him soon after. Two months later, Cal Ripken and his soon-to-be wife met again and became friends.
5. She Was Married to Cal Ripken Jr. For About 3 Decades
4 years after Kelly and Ripken’s initial meeting, things began to fall into place for them. They got married in 1987 at the Towson United Methodist Church and would spend a total of 29 years together before deciding to part ways in 2016. Their union was blessed with 2 kids; Ryan Ripken and Rachel Ripken.
In 2018, Ripken Jr. tied the knot to Laura S. Kiessling who is a Court Judge while Kelly has remained single.
6. There is no Proof that Kelly Ripken Cheated on Her Ex-husband
Since the ex-couple has enjoyed the spotlight for a long time, it would only be natural to expect a little more publicity about their divorce and what led to it. While so many questions continue to spring up, the ex-couple has focused on keeping the details of their divorce private. Although rumor suggests a possibility of infidelity, Cal, and Kelly would rather keep things away from the media.
Meanwhile, there was a huge rumor that made the rounds about Kelly being unfaithful to her husband. It was alleged that Ripken was met with the horror of seeing his wife in bed with Costner who happened to be his friend. However, the friends came out and denied the rumor with Costner being very enraged about the alleged conjectures.
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7. She Married Into The Family Of Baseball Players And Coach
When it comes to baseball and the Ripkens, there is a great deal of knitting that has been passed to generation from her then father-in-law down to her son. Cal Ripken Sr. Played professional baseball and later became a coach and manager in MLB for the Orioles organization.
Her ex-husband and his brother William ‘Billy’ Ripken also played baseball professionally until they retired from MLB in 2001 and 1999, respectively. Furthermore, her son Ryan Ripken also plays professionally. Interestingly, Ripken Sr. Became the first father to manage two songs simultaneously in the majors.
Reports have it that while she was a teenager, Cal Ripken Jr.’s ex-wife was also an athlete. It was said that Kelly participated in a couple of sporting events including track and field as well as basketball.
She even has trophies from both sports which were displayed alongside her husband’s numerous trophies.
8. Her Ex-Husband Broke A 56-Year-Old Baseball Record and Received one of the Longest Standing Ovations for any Athlete
Cal Ripken Jr. was born Calvin Edward Ripken Jr. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career kicked off in 1981 and he has so far appeared in many games and competitions.
In 1995, he made history to be ahead of Lou Gehrig who held the record for most consecutive games played (2,130) for 56 years. For this record, the B&O Warehouse outside the stadium’s right-field wall changed from 2130 to 2131. He retired with a record of 2,632 consecutive games played.
Ripken Jr. in 1995 received a standing ovation from fans, opponents, and all four umpires that lasted 22 minutes. While the ovation was still going on, ESPN did not break for a commercial till it was over.
9. Her Ex-Husband Supports Her Endevours Despite Being Divorced
Kelly noted that she was going to focus on philanthropy and work towards promoting the health of women through ‘A Woman’s Journey’ at Johns Hopkins Medicine after her divorce. Interestingly, her ex-husband showed support for her endeavors despite being separated.
10. How She Makes Her Money
Kelly Ripken’s net worth is estimated at about $1 million to $5 million. This may have been realized through her social and charity work. Even more, she might have shared in her ex-husband’s worth which is estimated at $75 million. Although she had a brief modeling career, it is not stated if Kelly made a lot of money from it.
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