Cal Ripken Wife: Judge Laura Ripken, Their Marriage and His Earlier Family Life

Cal Ripken Jr.’s wife is Judge Laura Ripken, previously known as Laura Kiessling. They married in 2018, after his divorce from first wife Kelly Ripken in 2016. Laura has an established legal career and serves on the Appellate Court of Maryland. The couple’s marriage is documented in both family reporting and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation’s official biographical material.

Who Is Cal Ripken Jr.’s Wife?

Laura S. Ripken is a Maryland judge and the baseball Hall of Famer’s second wife. Her professional identity is independent of her husband’s sporting career.

Older coverage uses the name Laura Kiessling, while current official material uses Ripken. The different surnames refer to the same person and reflect different periods of her public career.

She should not be confused with Kelly Ripken, who was married to Cal earlier. The two women have different biographies and different places in his family history.

When Did Cal and Laura Get Married?

The couple married in 2018. Contemporary reporting placed the wedding in October, following a period when they had been publicly seen together.

The marriage came after Cal’s first divorce, rather than during his playing career with the Baltimore Orioles. That chronology helps distinguish the family surrounding his record-setting years from his later personal life.

A detailed account of their first private meeting is not established in the sources reviewed. The confirmed marriage is more useful than an invented explanation of how their relationship began.

What Does Laura Ripken Do?

Laura serves as a judge on the Appellate Court of Maryland. Official state and judiciary records identify her position and trace an extensive career in law.

Before her appellate appointment, she served on the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court and held judicial leadership responsibilities. Her work therefore extends well beyond being the spouse of a famous athlete.

The court’s older name appears in historical material as the Court of Special Appeals. That is a naming difference in the institution’s history, not necessarily evidence that a biography refers to a different judicial position.

What Is Her Educational Background?

Official foundation material records that Laura graduated from Lehigh University in 1986 and earned her law degree from The Catholic University of America in 1989.

Those qualifications form part of the professional path that preceded her judgeship and marriage to Cal. They help explain her background without relying on celebrity-profile estimates.

Her education and court appointments are public professional facts. They do not establish her personal income, financial arrangements with her husband or involvement in his commercial businesses.

Who Was Cal Ripken’s First Wife?

Kelly Ripken was Cal’s first wife. They married in 1987 and their divorce was finalized in 2016, following a separation.

Their marriage overlapped with much of Cal’s Orioles career and his famous consecutive-games streak. Consequently, older baseball profiles frequently describe Kelly as his wife.

Those historical accounts may have been accurate when published, but current profiles should identify Laura as his spouse and Kelly as his former wife. Reusing the older wording without a date creates avoidable confusion.

Does Cal Ripken Have Children?

Cal and Kelly have two children, Rachel and Ryan. They are part of his documented family history and appeared in public accounts of his playing and post-playing life.

The children should not be described as Laura’s biological children. A later marriage does not change the parentage recorded in earlier family biographies.

Ryan also pursued baseball, providing another sporting connection within the family. His career is his own, and it should not be confused with Cal’s record or his father’s work in baseball development.

Are Cal and Laura Involved in Charitable Work?

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation provides a documented point of connection between the couple’s public activities. Its biographical material includes both Cal and Laura.

The foundation was established in memory of Cal’s father and works with young people through sports and educational initiatives. Laura’s involvement appears in its official materials.

Those records establish a charitable association, but they should not be expanded into claims about every donation the couple has made or their private financial commitments.

Why Is Cal Ripken So Well Known?

Ripken spent his major-league career with the Baltimore Orioles and became famous for breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games record. He ultimately played 2,632 consecutive games.

The milestone remains a major part of baseball history and explains why interest in his family continues long after his retirement. His public life now includes charitable and baseball-related work.

That career background provides context for Laura’s visibility, but it does not replace her own professional biography as a judge.

What Is the Recent Update?

Current foundation and Maryland judicial records continue to identify the couple’s marriage and Laura’s court role. A 2026 profile of Cal also included his family and wife Laura in its account of his life after baseball.

No verified new marriage or separation announcement was established in the reviewed material. There is no need to manufacture a relationship incident where current records simply show the established marriage.

The accurate family picture is clear: Laura Ripken is Cal Ripken Jr.’s wife, they married in 2018, and Kelly Ripken is his former spouse and the mother of Rachel and Ryan.