Sisters die 102 years apart — one from the Spanish flu, the other from coronavirus

A 96-year-old Texas woman died from coronavirus last week, more than a century after her older sister died from the Spanish Flu, according to an obituary and media reports.

Selma Esther Ryan has lived at an Austin assisted living center for the past three years after previously living in San Antonio, WOAI reported.

Her daughter, Vicki Spencer, told KXAN she got a call April 3 that her mother was sick along with four other residents at the center.

“Over the next five days I watched through the window as she got sicker and sicker,” Spencer said. “It was so hard to not be with her. Her 96th birthday was April 11. Our family gathered outside her window, but it was obvious that something terrible had happened to her.”

Her death April 14 came 102 years after her older sister, 5-year-old Esther, died from the Spanish Flu, Selma’s obituary states. Esther is one of at least 50 million people who died during the 1918 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of April 20, more than 168,000 people worldwide have died from coronavirus, including 40,000 in the United States, Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Selma Esther Ryan — her middle name the same as her sister’s first name — lived in several states throughout her life, as well as Ethiopia and the Philippines, her obituary states. A friend stated “she was an epitome of a lovely lady.”

“She excelled in the game of Bridge, gardening, cooking and many other things,” the obituary states. “She created lovely works of art with counted cross stitching. She loved the Lord and was active in her church.”

This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Sisters die 102 years apart — one from the Spanish flu, the other from coronavirus."