[Grampa Dave]

I lost an uncle and his wife (both of whom I never met) to that killer flu. They were in their early twenties and had never been sick in their lives besides a couple of common colds.

They visited my Dad while he was in a hospital recovering from serious injuries as a young soldier. About a week later they died. Their surviving family wisely asked for them to be placed in coffins and sealed with no viewing at the funerals or goodbyes from the survivors in the funeral home.

[wbill]

I recently toured the family cemetary with my father, who is the resident expert genealogist.

It was not uncommon in the cemetary to see entire families wiped out within a few days of each other. A couple were from the Spanish flu, a double handful more, Dad said, were from smallpox and cholera.

At the time, things were much more isolated. Were something that virulent to come along now.....I'd rather not contemplate it.

[Capt. Tom]

Their surviving family wisely asked for them to be placed in coffins and sealed with no viewing at the funerals or goodbyes from the survivors in the funeral home.

Many years ago I worked with a gentleman who at that time in 1918 had a job making coffins.
He told me how wide spread the deaths were and how they came so fast.
It was hard for me to grasp it at that time (circa late 50s)-Tom