Friday 15 March 2013

Mother Loses Her Husband, Son And Daughter In Separate Tragedies Within 24 Hours

Three members of the same family died within hours of one another in three different tragedies.

Carl Dennis, 79, died a day after hearing that his daughter, Caryl, had passed away after being taken ill and his son Nigel's body was found in his house

Mr Dennis's wife, Hilary, also 79, has spoken of her devastation at losing three members of her family in such a short space of time.

'I will never get over it', she said. 'It is very hard to keep going and keep your spirits up when something like this happens to you.'

The fateful 24 hours started when Mrs Dennis was at home in Bridgend, South Wales, when her daughter Caryl visited, complaining she felt unwell.

She said: 'She had been suffering from gallstones and was complaining about her stomach so I called 999. They were here immediately. She was happy and chatting with the paramedics, looking up at them and smiling.

'But when I was told the next morning she had died I couldn't believe it because her illness didn't seem so serious.'

After losing her daughter, Mrs Dennis tried to contact her son, Nigel, but was unable to summon him. She knew that there was something wrong.

'When I had not heard from Nigel for several hours I knew something dreadful had happened. It was a mother's instinct that something was awfully wrong.

'I was devastated when I was told he had been found dead - just a few hours after his sister died. When he was found collapsed in the hallway of his home his phone was still in his hand.

'It was as if he was trying to ring for help before he collapsed with a brain haemorrhage. It was just dreadful to lose them both in the space of a few hours.'

The next day her husband of 60 years, who had been ill for some time, also passed away and she puts it down to the grief he was feeling.

'We had been married for 60 years and we were together nearly every day. It's hard to believe he's not here any more.

'After the operation he seemed to be coming along fine and it was a shock when he died. I am convinced he died of a broken heart rather than the effects of his operation.'

Mrs Dennis has one surviving daughter and she says that she is helping her through the triple tragedy.

She said: 'Christine and my friends have rallied round and I am trying to keep going but it's very difficult and I know I will never get over it. There are a lot of dark times to come and it's going to take a long time to recover.'

Caryl and Nigel had a joint funeral. Bridgend Coroner Louise Hunt returned a narrative verdict for Caryl and accidental death for Nigel.

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