Nell Madigan Sullivan, Death Certificate, 1966

Nell died on January 21, 1966, almost 10 years to the day from when her husband, Al, passed away. A few weeks before she died, she had a party for all of her friends at her home at 18 N. Latrobe on Chicago. She spent the week before the party cleaning the apartment, walking to grocery stores, the bakery and the meat market -- collecting the food stuffs for the party.  I remember she was so happy getting ready for the event. However, within days of the party, she seemed to fail. Mom said she was supposed to be taking high blood pressure medication, but felt the pills weren't necessary and thought that an aspirin was just as good. Mom thought Nell might have chosen not to take the pills because of their high cost.

She probably had had several small strokes which eventually made her bed-ridden. An ambulance was called but Nell refused to go to the hospital and they had to leave. Her doctor came to the house and gave her some medication that caused her to relax. Unfortunately, it may have also taken her "fight" away and she seemed to slip into a coma. The ambulance was again called and took her to St. Joseph Hospital. She was pronounced dead on arrival.

Like her husband, she was waked at the Hursen Funeral Home on west Madison Street. Her funeral service took place at St. Thomas Aquinas Church -- the Church where she attended Mass each day, almost to the day she died. She is buried next to her husband in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

Nell was a homemaker her entire married life raising two children and tending to her husband Al.

Note, although her death certificate states she is 79, she was actually born on May 29, 1880.  She would have been 86 at the time of her death per her birth certificate.