Genevieve Gore, 91; Her Company Invented Waterproof Fabric

Genevieve “Vieve” Gore, 91, the co-founder of the company that invented the Gore-Tex fabric used for waterproofing clothing, died Thursday in Newark, Del., after a brief illness, W.L. Gore and Associates said.

Gore founded the closely held company in 1958 with her husband, Wilbert “Bill” Gore, a former Du Pont Co. executive. The firm made its first product, insulated computer cable, in the basement of the Gores’ Newark home. In 1969, W.L. Gore’s temperature-resistant cable was used on the first moon landing, connecting seismic equipment with the spacecraft. Waterproof fabric made by Gore-Tex was first used in clothing in 1976.

Born Genevieve Walton in Salt Lake City, she studied education at the University of Utah and graduated from Henniger Business College. She married Gore in 1935, and the couple settled in Delaware in 1945. He died in 1986, while the couple were camping in the Rockies.