A tragic mum died in her sleep after complaining of a pain in her side just weeks after her daughter passed away.
Gladys Jones “shrugged off” reoccurring pains, her family said, and never woke up after going to bed at home.
Her daughter Claire said her family have been left devastated by the double tragedy.
Gladys’ other daughter Sarah, 34, passed away on March 13.
Speaking about her mums death, Claire, 38, told the Liverpool Echo: “My dad last saw her at 10pm when they went to bed - she was fine. My dad was going to work the next morning, checked on her and she had passed away.”
Gladys died at home in Bootle, Merseyside, on May 9.
A post-mortem showed she had suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding, caused by an ulcer which had ruptured in her stomach.
Gladys, who worked as a carer, also leaves behind her husband Steven, 61, and son Steven, 28.
Claire said: “She’s been on tablets for indigestion and heartburn.
“But she wasn’t aware she had an ulcer. My dad has lost his soul mate, he’s been with my mum for 40 years.
“We’re absolutely devastated. It’s such a shock and I’ve spent every day with her since my sister passed away, just trying to keep her going.”
Gladys’ daughter Sarah was born with various heart conditions including pulmonary stenosis - a condition which reduces blood flow around a valve in her heart.
Sarah was due to have an operation two weeks before she died but was told by doctors she was too ill to undergo surgery and she died from organ failure, leaving behind her long-term partner Mick and three children Ella, nine, Mikey, eight, and Charlie, five.
Claire said her mum and sister “had a really close bond” and were “always together, as we all were”.
She added “She had the biggest heart you could ever imagine. She was always there for anyone.
“Anything you needed she was there. She was really good at her job. We’ve had lots of recognition from service users and families saying how much she will be missed.”
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