Karnataka: Birthday turns tragic as daughter dies before centenarian mom

MANGALURU: A pall of gloom descended on the boisterous birthday celebrations after a 75-year-old Gloria Lobo collapsed and breathed her last before the eyes of her centenarian mother Gladys D’Souza on Monday.Gloria Lobo, a widow residing in Canada, had come down to city about four days ago in order to celebrate her mother Gladys D’Souza’s 100th birthday. She along with her daughter Liza and brothers Trevor D’Souza and Christopher D’Souza had organised a grand centenary celebration for Gladys D’Souza at Nympha Sadan, a senior citizens’ home in Pandeshwar on Monday.

Gloria Lobo was all excited to celebrate her mother’s 100th birthday and even had composed a song to mark the momentous day. As Gladys D’souza was wheeled into the hall, the celebrations began. After the cake-cutting ceremony,  Gloria suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on arrival by doctors on duty.

“It was all over on a trice and the celebrations were cut short. On hearing news of Gloria’s death her brother Trevor D’Souza is in extreme shock,’’ informed historian and well known writer Ivan Saldanha Shet. Centurian Gladys D’Souza who saw her daughter Gloria Lobo collapsing before her eyes failed to comprehend the situation and is as normal as before.

“Centurian Gladys D’Souza has a hearing problem and poor memory. Thus she was not able to understand what had happened to her daughter,’’ informs Ivan, who is a regular visitor to the old age home. Gloria Lobo was not healthy, Shet informs. She was a heart patient and had undergone a bypass surgery.
“She was also overwhelmed with the celebrations, exhausted with the preparations and the sudden change in weather,’’ he added. Meanwhile, sources in family told Express that as soon as the formalities were completed, they would take Gloria Lobo’s corpse to Canada where the final rites will be completed.
Gloria while recollecting the many sacrifices made by her mother, also had recited a poem.