Ava Alice Muriel Astor

Ava Alice Muriel Astor (July 7, 1902 – July 19, 1956) was an American heiress, socialite, and member of the Astor family. She was the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV and Ava Lowle Willing, and sister of Vincent Astor.

Early life

Ava was born on July 7, 1902, the only daughter of John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV and Ava Lowle Willing. Her paternal grandparents were yachtsman William Backhouse Astor, Jr. and socialite Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn, while her maternal grandparents were Edward Shippen Willing and Alice Barton.

Marriages

Ava Astor married Prince Sergei Platonovich "Serge" Obolensky, son of General Platon Sergeyevich Obolensky and Maria Konstantinovna Naryshkina, on July 24, 1924 in the Savoy Chapel in London. The marriage was considered the event of the season in England that year. Her brother Vincent gave her a Palladian Revival stone residence on his estate near Rhinebeck, New York. The house was north of his own "Ferncliff Casin" ("Astor Courts") and also overlooked the Hudson River. Ava named it "Marienruh" and retained it through her life. They had a son Ivan (born May 15, 1925) and a daughter Sylvia (May 18, 1931 — June 27, 1997)