Wednesday - March 07, 2012

friends for a century … a human interest story

Not the usual sort of post I do but this story grabbed my attention.
And quite a story it is.

Take a look.

Best of friends for a century: They grew up together, married together, even honeymooned together.

Now they’ve died just a few days apart, at the age of 99

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

When they became inseparable as four-year-olds in the playground, Annie Walsh and Ivy Turner could never have imagined quite how long their friendship would last.

Over the century that followed, the pair went to school together, worked together and holidayed together.

And now, after sharing their lives for almost 100 years, the devoted friends have died within days of each other.

Ivy, left, married her sweetheart Fred, right, in 1932 and Annie followed two years later marrying Albert (centre), each taking the roles of bridesmaid and best man respectively

Mr and Mrs Turner, who set up a market stall selling handmade curtains after the Second World War, had no children, but Mr and Mrs Walsh’s three – Barry, now 69, Christine, 64, and Denise, 62 – knew their mother’s best friend as ‘Aunty Ivy’.

Christine, a former legal secretary, said: ‘They used to visit up at our home often and come on family holidays and they all used to enjoy playing tennis and going ballroom dancing together.

‘They ran a market stall together selling handmade curtains that Ivy would make and Fred would go out in his car and buy the material.

‘I remember when Ivy and Fred would take me and my sister out in their car when I was about nine – that was a real treat in those days because not many people had one.’

And as the years passed, the friends shared sad times as well as happy ones, each supporting the other in turn when Mr Turner died of bronchitis in 1976 and Mr Walsh passed away seven years ago.

By the time of Mr Walsh’s death, the friends were living in separate care homes in Oldham, but relatives helped them visit each other.

Mrs Walsh died on Valentine’s Day following a stroke, and seven days later, Mrs Turner passed away too. They would have celebrated their 100th birthdays in May and April respectively. 

Christine added: ‘I don’t know what happens when you die but I would like to think that once my mum died she looked down on Ivy and said, “Come on Ivy, let’s go and find Fred and Albert and go for a walk together.”’

Five years ago, Mrs Turner said: ‘We are more like sisters than friends.’ Mrs Walsh added: ‘Our friendship has lasted because we are both even-tempered and don’t get annoyed about things.’

LOTS MORE TO SEE HERE

I quite naturally scrolled through all of the photos at the link, but must confess to a feeling of dread when viewing the last one.
Could not shake the thought, mustn’t allow this for me at the end.
Seeing those old folks, once so strong and once independent and at the end for many, being washed by strangers and diapers (the late mil comes to mind).
Pretty much weak and pretty much at the mercy of others.  For many, at some point they end up alone. Old friends gone and no family. Never mind photos, like many of you I suppose, I’ve also seen it up close.  Not a good sight.
Scary.

Posted by peiper     on 03/07/2012 at 06:36 AM   
Filed Under: • UK •  
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