Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) faced a tragic personal loss on Thursday, as announced in a heartfelt statement to his 850,000 followers on X.
Massie, 53, a steadfast conservative voice in Congress since 2013, shared the devastating news of his wife, Rhonda Howard’s passing. Rhonda, who had been his partner for over 35 years, died of undisclosed causes.
“Yesterday my high school sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mother of our 4 children, the smartest kindest woman I ever knew, my beautiful and wise queen forever, Rhonda went to Heaven. Thank you for your prayers for our family in this difficult time,” he wrote, including poignant photos from their wedding day and throughout their life together.
The couple’s journey began in high school and took them to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where both earned engineering degrees from MIT. They co-founded a tech company while still in college, creating a device called the Phantom, which Fortune Magazine described in 1996 as giving users “the uncanny sensation of fingering objects that don’t exist.”
Their company, SensAble Technologies, secured over $40 million in venture funding and saw their invention used in diverse fields such as automotive design, jewelry, dental prosthetics, and reconstructive implants for soldiers.
Following their business success, the Massies focused on their family, raising two daughters and two sons. Rhonda dedicated her life to their family, providing a stable and loving home away from the public eye.
In a surprising detail, the couple had recently completed a tour of the Mt. Rainier stratovolcano in Washington State, indicating that Rhonda was active and enjoying life in her final days.
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Condolences poured into Massie’s comments, with followers offering tributes to Rhonda’s life and legacy. “Very sorry to hear of your loss, sir. She was a very special person,” wrote one follower, Atticus. Another added, “I am so extremely sorry for your loss sir. May her memory forever be a blessing to you and your family.”