Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.1. Correspondence, Private letters
1967 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to May Beveridge, 21.06.1967
Source: Archives of Rural History (ARH), Elizabeth McLoughlin Papers
My dear May. I am sorry to have to bring you sad news, but you won’t be too surprised. Dearest Kay died on Sunday 18th June. She was quite conscious up to the end. She was saying prayers for the dying to herself all the morning, had taken a cup of Complan early, she received Holy Communion at 9.15 am and was gone to her heavenly reward in five minutes later, may her dear soul rest in peace. I am sure she went straight to heaven; she was so good and kind to everyone. I know dear May you will miss her terribly, she was so devoted to you and to each one of your family. I was up with her since Friday evening. Jeane Crookes sent me a phone message on Friday 6 pm saying Kay was poorly. So when I saw Kay at 9.15 pm, she was better and delighted to see me and took a cup of coffee I had for her. I was with her all day Saturday and she had no pain but very weak, and the day being extra hot I kept fanning her with a book, and she would say “that was lovely”. She told me not to go back when I was leaving her at 6.30 pm and Jeane popped in to see her at 9.15 pm and she was resting and not in pain. Jeane says that once I came up, she was at ease, she really wanted to be with me, I was receiving Holy Communion for her the very time she died.
It was her express wishes “that we do not put the death in the papers till after the funeral and that relatives far away could meet the funeral at Glasnevin, and no flowers. She left a list of who was to be told she had died. Well in spite of such secrecy, if the death had been in the papers the graveyard would not have held all who came to the church for removal of remains. Only a few then came to the graveyard.
The news got around to her colleagues in the Department of Domestic science and there were many of her old friends came and sent Mass cards. I shall send you a detailed list later. To you and all the family dear May I send my heartfelt sympathy. I shall be very very lonely for her and everyone in the district here loved her. There were 41 Mass Cards yesterday, and I am sure many more will come.
We are having a Requiem Mass here in our little church next Tuesday 27th June. Your letter and Stephen’s arrived. Jennie McElligott is on hospital had an operation on Monday last for gall stones and had had jaundice. And Hugh is in USA at the moment.
I am writing to Meg Beveridge now. I am doing all the personal correspondence. Her solicitor Mr John C. Cullen is seeing after all alone. With loving sympathy from Lillie Bobbett.