News

Father, son die within hours of each other

By ANDREA DOWNER, Staff Reporter

SEVENTY-THREE-YEAR-old Kenneth Stennett and his 44 year-old son, Richard Stennett both died on February 25. A father and son, dead within hours of each other. A family left to grieve for not one, but two persons and the enormous cost involved in burying both of them.

Fifty-one-year-old Lola Stennett was faced with this formidable task a little over a month ago when her step-father, Kenneth, and his son; her brother, Richard, died within hours of each other.

Both ailing

In fairness, taken in isolation, the fact that Richard and his father died was not very surprising as both men had been ailing for a while. However, what proved puzzling is the fact that Kenneth died at home a few hours after his son died in hospital even though Lola said no one had not told him of his son's death.

Lola told THE STAR that her brother had been diagnosed with a stomach ulcer by doctors and been had ill for a little less than two years. She said he complained of stomach pains and was admitted to hospital for a while and underwent an operation. He was discharged but was readmitted about a year after as his feet and stomach became swollen.

She said he was discharged and readmitted a number of times after that with complications until the family was finally told that he had developed cancer. On February 25, he died while in hospital.

Lola said Kenneth, Richard's father, was also diagnosed with cancer but of the prostate and he was undergoing radiation for his illness. She said after she came back from the hospital having heard of her brother's death, she bathed her stepfather and fed him some coconut water. She said she was on the verandah talking when someone came and told her that he had apparently stopped breathing.

Lola, who did most of the preparations for the double funeral that was held at the Gregory Park Seventh Day Adventist Church on March 7, said although the two deaths have affected her, she has had to take it easy as she has high blood pressure.

She said father and son were both buried at Dovecot Memorial Park beside each other.