Their last words to each other were "I love you": Sister remembers family who died in Chesapeake fire

[The Librarian]

By Margaret Matray 
The Virginian-Pilot 

Sep 21, 2017 Updated 25 min ago

CHESAPEAKE

Cynthia Wright called and called, but her sisterÂ’s voicemail box was full.

A four-alarm fire had engulfed the apartment complex where WrightÂ’s sister and niece lived. And she couldnÂ’t find either of them.

WrightÂ’s brother drove to the apartments but couldnÂ’t get any information about where Saundra and Lydia Somerville had gone.

Wright called the hospitals but turned up nothing.

She thought they must be with friends, that it would be only a matter of time before the family found them.

The next day, a family friend called: Rumors were swirling that Saundra and Lydia had died.

After authorities accounted for all other residents, after they identified 61-year-old Cynthia Martenis as one of three people who died in the July 15 blaze, Wright said a fire marshal suggested the family wait to hold any services until they could confirm the identities of the other two victims.

Wright said DNA and other tests were needed.

This week – two months after they died – authorities publicly identified Saundra Somerville, 64, and her 30-year-old daughter, Lydia Somerville, as the remaining two victims of a fire caused by lightning at Chesapeake Crossing Senior Community Apartments.

“It has been a long wait.

… God has played a great part in helping us to deal with this,” Wright said.

Wright said her sister and niece are not forgotten; the family thinks of them every day.

A service has been planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Kingdom Hall of JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, 681 Oak Grove Road, in Chesapeake.

“It’s just sad,” she said, “how both of them went.”

Wright said her sister and niece lived together at the apartment complex. They were an inseparable pair.

“You saw one, you saw the other,” Wright said.

Saundra Somerville loved to sing and was known for her cooking – homemade hot rolls and potato salad were her specialties.

She grew up in Deep Creek, the oldest of nine siblings. As a young girl, she liked to whip up Rice Krispies Treats for her younger brothers and sisters. Wright looked up to her.

Her passion for cooking stuck with her .

She retired several years ago from Chesapeake Public Schools, where she worked as a manager in the food service department, Wright said.

“It was no wonder she ended up in food service,” she said. “She loved what she did.”

Lydia Somerville, an only child, was witty and bubbly. She once worked at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center , Wright said. Both women were JehovahÂ’s Witnesses and dedicated to their faith.

Wright saw her niece for the last time the Sunday before the fire.

Wright stopped by the apartment complex to drop off a gift for her sister – Love and White Diamonds, an Elizabeth Taylor perfume.

Wright said her sister called before Wright was out of the parking lot to talk about the present, a new fragrance in a perfume line they both liked.

Usually when they got off the phone, the sisters would say theyÂ’d talk to each other later. But that Sunday was different, Wright said.

“I said, ‘I love you.’ And she said, ‘I love you, too,’ ” Wright recalled.

“And those were the last words we shared.”

Margaret Matray

https://pilotonline.com/news/local/their-last-words-to-each-other-were-i-love-you/article_c45e44fb-06f5-5e47-a9d4-7a86448afab4.html

[The Librarian]

Sad story... 

[USASister]

Our love to you at this difficult time. I look forward to meeting these lovely sisters in the new world!