Thinking Caps on again - Deaths

[WilmaM]

Heather's recent posting on marriage ages and amounts of children had me thinking about deaths.

How closely to each other did any of your married couples die?

I have 3 such cases in my tree:

Sarah Jamieson died 23 January 1910 aged 74 from 'old age'
her husband
Thomas Jamieson died 27 January 1910 aged 75 also from 'old age'

Francis Robb died 9/2/1922 aged 91
and his wife followed him 3 days later
Isabella Robb 12/2/1922 aged 89.

The most tragic case is that of my Dad's uncle Sammy:

Mary English died in Hospital from complications after gall bladder surgery
12/5/1941 aged 35
He passed away 27/5/1942 from pneumonia aged just 40.
The real sad part is their little daughter died of TB 25/7/1942.

Family legend has it that he just wasted away from a broken heart.

Has anyone else noticed anything like this?

[paddyscar]

Hi Wilma:

I don't think it was uncommon for family members to die very closely to each other. Once a sickness was in the house, there was nothing to stop it, especially pre-penicillin and sulpha drugs.

Although it happens less frequently now that we have better medical solutions, it's still not uncommon to see spouses or siblings who have lived together for decades and decades to die within short periods of time.

It's likely a result of combined grief, loss of life companion, lack of interest and failure to eat properly.

Frances

[Ina]

Wilma,

I had two brothers die within a few days of each other.

Francis Bonnar died on February 26, 1945, age 30
Daniel Bonnar died March 1, 1945, age 25

Both died of tuberculosis at Noranside Sanitarium, in Fearn, Scotland.

Ina

[Bob Haining]

My parents, 10 days apart;

Mum on June 21, 1975 and Dad on July 1, 1975, different illnesses.

[Muriel]

A cousin of my grandfather's & his wife died on the same day in different hospitals - neither knew of the other's death.

Muriel

[AndrewP]

Same day for a couple I found on a friend's tree I was researching. They were both killed ovenight by gas leaking in the house.

All the best,

AndrewP

[paddyscar]

My great grandfather was 5 years older in the census on Apr 5, 1891 than he was when he died on Dec. 20, 1891.

Paddyscar

[Currie]

Hello Frances,

Filling out census forms must be invigorating.

My mother’s cousins were washed into a blowhole and drowned at Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania, on 5th February, 1956. That’s the shortest gap between deaths and also the shortest marriage I have, 10 days, they were on their honeymoon.

All the best,
Alan

[Kathy]

I have a mother & son died 7hours apart, a really tragic story.

Greenock late Jan 1910, probably very cold.

Annie aged 30, her son Joseph 8months of age, both died "Chronic Bronchitis, accelerated by starvation".

Seems the father was in prison at the time.

Kathy