Titanic's Last American Survivor dies

Stefani · Post by **Stefani** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:44 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060507/ap_ ... survivor_6

Titanic's Last American Survivor, 99, Dies
By ANDREW RYAN, Associated Press Writer

Lillian Gertrud Asplund, the last American survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, has died, a funeral home said Sunday. She was 99.

Asplund, who was just 5 years old, lost her father and three brothers — including a fraternal twin — when the "practically unsinkable" ship went down in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg.

She died Saturday at her home in Shrewsbury, said Ronald E. Johnson, vice president of the Nordgren Memorial Chapel in Worcester, Mass.

"She went to sleep peacefully," he said.

Asplund's mother, Selma, and another brother, Felix, who was 3, also survived the Titanic sinking in the early morning of April 15, 1912.

Asplund was the last Titanic survivor with actual memories of the sinking, but she shunned publicity and rarely spoke about the events.

At least two other survivors are living, but they were too young to have memories of the disaster. Barbara Joyce West Dainton of Truro, England, was 10 months old and Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean of Southampton, England, was 2 months old.

The Asplund family had boarded the ship in Southampton, England, as third-class passengers on their way back to Worcester from their ancestral homeland, Sweden, where they had spent several years.

Asplund's mother described the sinking in an interview with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette newspaper shortly after she and her two children arrived in the city.

Selma Asplund said the family went to the Titanic's upper deck after the ship struck the iceberg.

"I could see the icebergs for a great distance around ... It was cold and the little ones were cuddling close to one another and trying to keep from under the feet of the many excited people ... My little girl, Lillie, accompanied me, and my husband said 'Go ahead, we will get into one of the other boats.' He smiled as he said it."

Because they lost all of their possessions and money, the city of Worcester held a fundraiser and a benefit concert that together brought in about $2,000 for the surviving Asplunds.

Lillian Asplund never married and worked at secretarial jobs in the Worcester area most of her life. She retired early to care for her mother, who was described as having never gotten over the tragedy.

Selma Asplund died on the 52nd anniversary of the sinking in 1964 at age 91. Felix Asplund died on March 1, 1983, at age 73.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Johnson said.

Elizabelle · Post by **Elizabelle** » Mon May 08, 2006 2:29 am

Thank you for the article.

May Lillie rest in peace.

Time certainly is passing by quickly. It has been 94 years since the tragedy. A blink of God's eye...

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:05 pm

Thanks for the article, Stefani. A local radio station spoke about Lillie today, it was nice to hear the coverage about her. Truly something amazing to have lived through!

doug65oh · Post by **doug65oh** » Wed May 24, 2006 12:05 am

I just happened upon this a moment ago and thought I might add it here. It's an excellent article about the memorial service for Lillian Asplund, apparently held just a few weeks ago.
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/asplund.html

(Visitors to the B&B might even be acquainted with the writer. Her Titanica Profile identifies her as"...weekend innkeeper and tour guide at Lizzie Borden's B&B.") How old or out of date the profile is, I'm not sure.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed May 24, 2006 2:01 am

That's Shelly.
I believe she's going to be night manager at the B&B this Friday night.
She played Lizzie in the videos until they decided she was too old- according to her.

Stef and I met Shelly the first time we stepped into #92 together with Bill Pavao, March, 2004.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed May 24, 2006 9:52 am

I hadn't heard of this survivor. But like it says, she kept a low profile.

This must mean that Eva Hart (sp?) passed away? She was the elderly lady who was on all the Titanic specials being interviewed. She looked a little like Margaret Hamilton ("Almira Gulch"). I didn't hear that she died. Anybody know when?

doug65oh · Post by **doug65oh** » Wed May 24, 2006 11:21 am

Eva Hart passed away the 14th of February 1996, according to her bio at http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/bi ... php?id=441

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Thu May 25, 2006 2:06 pm

Thanks, Doug! Sorry to know she's gone.

They have the Titanic Historical Society museum in Springfield, Massachusetts (I think technically it's in Indian Orchard, Mass.). On one of my treks to Fall River, we stopped there. I had belonged to the group for several years. It was neat. You got newsletters, I think. Every year you got a glossy magazine called "The Commutator". Those are going as collectibles on eBay now, and rightly so. They are good.

When I went to the museum, the president of the society was there. He posed for a picture with our daughter. His sister, Karen, was manning the museum and she talked a good deal to us. At the time, they had completed filming the Titanic movie with Leonardo de Caprio, and I didn't know who he was then. The president, Ed Kar___, was in the movie as one of the background passengers. I saw a photo of him in costume and never saw him in the film. Next time I go, I'll have to ask where he is in the film.

Anyway, she said something about Eva Hart and her father's watch. George Tulloch, who owns the rights to the wreck now, found it and was going to give it to her. I think he was going to give it to her on some tv show, then after the show put it back in his collection and she refused to take part in it. It was like, why didn't he just give it to her?

It was a good visit! I had no idea I'd get some good tidbits out of it.