Couple ‘couldn’t survive without one another’
ADEVOTED couple found dead just feet apart “couldn’t survive without one another,” relatives have revealed.
Rowland Hilton, 82, killed himself shortly after his terminally-ill wife Mary, 79, died from lung cancer.
After their joint inquest last week at Sefton Coroner’s Court, family mem- bers and friends paid tribute to them.
The Hiltons were discovered on May 3 in the summerhouse of their home in Ainsdale after their family solicitor had received a letter from the couple, stating their intention to end their lives.
Mrs Hilton was lying on the floor, while her husband was “slumped on the sofa”, having suffocated himself, coroner’s officer Stephen Craig said.
One relative said: “They did everything together.
“They grew up together in Duckenfield, Manchester, but moved to Merseyside.
“Their mums were friends, which led to Rowland and Mary becoming teenage sweethearts.”
Lawyer Tony Burns said that the couple, who were regular church-goers, would soon have marked 60 years together.
The relative said: “They absolutely did everything together – one would have not been able to survive without the other.
“All their church friends would have been shocked by what happened, but that was the choice they made.”
Eddie Bairstow, the Hilton’s next-door neighbour, was the last person to see the couple alive.
He said: “Mary was looking very ill the last time I saw them, which was the week before their deaths.
“But Rowland was very healthy.
“There was no suggestion of anything wrong, or what they were planning to do.”
Mr Hilton was a model boat enthusiast, while his wife had sung with a BBC choir. The couple also loved to look after their garden.
Sefton Coroner’s Court was told there were no suspicious circumstances behind their deaths, and no third party involvement.
Mr Bairstow added: “Rowland was a great organiser. He wore a tie every day, and a bow tie on Sundays.
“They were a really nice couple, and nice neighbours.”
A post mortem examination showed that Mrs Hilton died from bronchial pneumonia, as a result of a malignant mesothelioma.
Mr Hilton died from asphyxia, coroner Christopher Sumner was told, with raised levels of a painkiller.
A will had been drawn up with their solicitor named as the executor.
The discovery of their bodies was made by a police officer, who noted that the curtains of the summerhouse were closed, and the doors were closed, but unlocked.
Coroner Mr Sumner said: “I have no doubt whatsoever that Mr Hilton intended to take his own life.”