95 year old couple dead in apparent murder suicide

[perry]

Romantically tragic.

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20110708/NEWS01/107080309/

MUNCIE -- The thought of being separated from the woman he had spent a lifetime with was apparently more than John W. Holdeman could bear.

On Thursday afternoon, Holdeman, who would have turned 96 next month, is believed to have climbed into bed with his terminally ill wife, Beatrice, and used a small-caliber handgun to end both of their lives.

Beatrice Holdeman, 95, was in the final stages of congestive heart failure, Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn said, and had been receiving hospice care. Plans were under way to move her into a nursing facility.

John Holdeman had sent the couple's daughter, visiting from California, on an errand. She found her parents' bodies when she returned to their Churchill Court condominium in the Willow Lake development, just west of Morrison Road, about 2:20 p.m.

Hahn said John Holdeman had left a note behind for his daughter and other children. The coroner declined to discuss its contents.

Holdeman had also recently received some "bad news, medically," concerning his own health, Hahn said.

The coroner said the Holdemans had been "facing being apart for the first time in 60 years."

"It's very sad," he added.

City police arrived at the scene en masse but fairly quickly realized they had no suspect to pursue.

Muncie police Capt. Mark Vollmar said detectives interviewed the couple's family members and health-care providers, among others. John Holdeman had apparently told no one about his intentions, he said.

Asked whether Beatrice Holdeman was a willing participant in her husband's plan, Vollmar said, "I have no idea. I don't know if we'll ever know that."

John Holdeman was retired from Borg-Warner Automotive, apparently transferring from Detroit to Muncie, and held several patents on gear and transmission-related devices.

He and his wife were active in the community. Beatrice Holdeman was on the Muncie YWCA's building committee, and the couple made financial donations to Minnetrista.

 

[rajagra]

Very poignant. I hope he managed to do it with happy memories in his mind, and gratitude for a good life in his heart.

 

[cliffordNC]

Not in the will of God.

 

[rajagra]

Not in the will of God.

I respect your opinion.
I respect theirs more.

 

[Legion]

+1

It's a sad story but understandable.

 

[perry]

The couple actually lived in Mom's neighborhood and she at least knew who they were and had talked to the lady a couple times on the phone.

The man had recently been diagnosed w/ a terminal cancer, and with the woman in hospice care, I suspect the man would have succumbed to a broken heart, or the cancer, before the year was up. My feeling is that it was planned out and they decided to end their 60+ years together on their own terms.

Absolutely heartbreaking to think about the decisions that had to be made leading up to the event.

 

[spindlecone]

I live in a retirement community,happens all the time.Normally with meds,not guns.

 

[Legion]

My grandfather went through it. He's in his late 90's now, and mentally still 100%. My grandmother passed away a couple of years ago, but was in a hospice because of dementia for several years before she went. I can only imagine what it would be like to see your partner of over 60 years go down that path, and not even know who you were.

 

[Manthrax]

My grandfather drank himself to death when my grandmother died, they had been together for about 45 years. He was 66 at the time. I understand why he lost all will to live, but I do of course miss him being that he was the only living family member (except for my parents and my sister) I was in contact with at the time. Now, I have only my closest family.

 

[plpenn]

very sad

 

[TimmyBoston]

I wouldn't label this murder/suicide.

 

[dpmtherrien]

Sorry to read about this, but I don't ever see suicide as the answer to anything.

 

[instpasr]

I don't know how I feel about this but I do know we should allow people to end their lives with dignity. No one should be forced to suffer a terminal illness because society says you can't end it when you want to.

 

[aceinyerface]

My father died in hospice. It was like being tortured to death. At the end, he couldn't eat, couldn't drink, basically, he suffered to death. But, we are humane. Yeah right.