A FAMILY has paid tribute to a “bubbly, loving and giving” York mum-of-two who died suddenly of pneumonia aged 43.
Louise Scaum thought she was suffering from a sudden bout of flu when she put herself to bed.
Her family said she was still chirpy and cracking jokes and had asked her partner, John Wilson, for her two new baby kittens to be brought for her to cuddle.
But ten minutes later John found Louise passed out in the bedroom of her Acomb home and despite efforts to resuscitate her paramedics pronounced her dead 20 minutes later.
Only a week before Louise had conquered a fear of flying to make a trip to France to see her parents, William and Doris, at their holiday home.
Today her family paid tribute to Louise, who had two teenage daughters; Hayley Jayne, 16, and Sammie Louise, 15. They have asked anyone who attends the the funeral to wear a touch of leopard print or hot pink to honour her “bubbly and outgoing” personality.
Her sister, Lisa Bennison, 41, described Louise as “the star in the sky that will sparkle forever”.
She said Louise had started complaining of flu-like symptoms on the Sunday afternoon before she passed away.
“At about 10pm she said she just wanted to go to bed and said she wanted her two new little kittens with her,” she said.
“By the time John went to the bedroom with them – within about ten minutes – she had passed away.”
Lisa said John and Hayley Jayne had contacted the ambulance service and performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. But she was pronounced dead after 20 minutes of trying to resuscitate her.
Lisa said: “I think she had already gone by the time John had called for an ambulance – it was that quick.”
A post-mortem examination revealed Louise, a former Betty’s café worker who was born and bred in Acomb and lived in Front Street, had a shadow on her lung and a preliminary cause of death was given as pneumonia.
Lisa said: “We were just desperate for the coroner to tell us what the cause was – we were aghast at what it could have been.”
Lisa described Louise as “the loveliest person who lived to make people smile”, she said. “Even on the Sunday while she was ill she was still chirpy and happy and was cracking jokes – that is just who she was.
“She was a social butterfly who was the centre of any party. She was very family-orientated who lived for her daughters and John, who has been left absolutely devastated.
“Louise was the family – she was the light in all our lives. No one could every find anything bad to say about her ever. She was bubbly and friendly and loved to embarrass people.
“She would always put everyone else first – no matter how tired or busy she was she put herself at the bottom of the pile.”
William and Doris said they had been left devastated, but added that they were happy that they got to spend a precious holiday with Louise before her sudden death. In written tributes daughters Hayley Jayne, and Sammie Louise have also spoke of their devastation, saying: “Mum. Thanks for being you. You will always be in our hearts. Night mum, love you.”
Partner John said: “I sit alone and wonder why it was you who had to die. My heart is broken, the tears I cry. I know it is time to say goodbye.”
A funeral will be held at York Crematorium on Wednesday at 10.20am.
Lisa said: “Louise used to dye her hair every colour of the rainbow and loved a bit of leopard print and hot pink so we would be grateful if people could wear a bit of either – a leopard print pair of glasses or a pink hanky even.”
Any donations collected at the service will be given to Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Sudden death so very tragic
WHEN someone dies suddenly, it is especially traumatic for those loved ones left behind, because they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.
Louise Scaum told her family she wanted to go to bed early last week; just a few minutes later, she had passed away. Louise had shown no symptoms and was still cracking jokes with her partner, John, before tucking herself in.
She had asked for her kittens to be brought up and those were the last words John will ever hear her say. It proved to be Louise’s dying wish, but before they were with her, she had gone.
Louise’s family was, of course, distraught. All her sister, Lisa, wanted was to know why it had happened, and why had it been so quick. The reason was revealed in the post-mortem examination when a shadow on her lung was discovered; suggesting pneumonia was the cause of death.
Amid tragedy, though, we hope the relatives will find some consolation, because just a few days before she died, Louise had conquered her fear of flying by jetting off to see her parents at their holiday home in France.
Sadly, the goodbyes said at the airport were to be their last.
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