THE DEATH of a local seamstress and former Crufts Best of Breed champion, has led to a reunion of an aunt and niece who hadn’t seen each other in more than three decades.
Constance Doheny, 89, died in Coventry Hospital with no will and no known next of kin. She left an estate worth a quarter of a million pounds.
But thanks to BBC show Heir Hunters, two surviving members of her family have been found – and reunited.
The team discovered Constance was an only child and her maiden name was Morse – a popular surname that made research challenging.
After a few twists and turns, the team found Constance’s paternal first cousin once removed – Jacqueline Pearson, who lives in Stoke on Trent. Jacqueline also had a brother, David, now deceased.
Further research revealed that David had a daughter, Danielle, but that he had left the family home when she was very young. Danielle, who lives in Hertford, had no contact with her father’s side of the family growing up and wasn’t aware that he had died.
She hadn’t seen her aunt Jacqueline for 30 years until their emotional reunion.
Jacqueline said: “I didn’t know anything about Danielle, all I had was a photograph of her as a baby.
“It was lovely to see her after all these years and hear all about her life. I’m looking forward to meeting her children too.”
Danielle and Jacqueline are both beneficiaries of Constance’s estate.
You can catch-up on Heir Hunters on BBC’s iPlayer.
This article has been first published in Coventry Observer
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Family reunited 30 years after first meeting following death of estranged relative – coventrytelegraph.net