Lucy Foyt, wife of Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt, dies at 84

Lucy Foyt, wife of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, died Wednesday in a Houston hospital following a brief illness. She was 84.

Born and raised in the Houston area, Lucy met her future husband at Lamar High School and the two married in 1955. She supported her husband's racing career but rarely attended races and instead focused on her passions for “culture, arts, and global travel,” the team said in a statement.

“Lucy had a special appreciation for life, always embracing new experiences, people, and challenges,” A.J. Foyt Racing said. "There was never a dull moment being married to the auto racing legend; for nearly 68 years, Lucy was his rock, keeping him grounded as he ascended to superstardom in motorsports.

“Her steadfast support and amazing grace under pressure throughout A.J.’s career and post-career, which was marked by life-threatening injuries on several occasions, made it possible for him to stage the remarkable comebacks that added to his legendary status.”

Foyt, who turned 88 in January, had a pacemaker installed in early March. He missed the IndyCar season-opening race but spent last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway with his two-car race team.

Lucy Foyt was not feeling well when he returned home and hospitalized earlier this week.

She is survived by her husband, sons A.J. Foyt III and Jerry, daughter Terry, and their grandson, Larry, whom the Foyts adopted and is the current president of A.J. Foyt Enterprises — the team Foyt started in late 1965. The Foyts have eight grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

“She was able to watch them grow to achieve success, marry for love, and raise children, many of which are named after her with the most recent being Larry’s daughter, Lucy, who was born in January,” the team said.

Funeral arrangements are pending.