Patience Stone's faith is helping her survive a mother's worst nightmare. On Sunday morning, while she was at church, her youngest daughter, Marilize, was found hanged at home.
Patience Stone's faith is helping her survive a mother's worst nightmare. On Sunday morning, while she was at church, her youngest daughter, Marilize, was found hanged at home.
It was while everyone in the area near Mary Waters High School known as Ghost Town was caught up in the excitement of the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals that the tragedy unfolded. A neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “When we walked outside after watching the rugby we saw the street full of people standing outside Marilize's house and that's how we found out.”
Yesterday the tearful mother sat in the lounge of the family home and described the emotional turmoil the family had gone through in the past few years. “Things have been difficult for the family," Patience said.
Struggling to apeak through her tears as she spoke of her daughter's death, she said: "I believe whatever happens to a family happens because of God, so if we stand together as a family, all will go well."
Marilize, 18, was a Grade 12 pupil at PJ Olivier and the school's principal, Piet Snyders, described her as friendly and hard-working. "She was liked by her classmates and the teachers at the school. She was also friendly and hard-working," Snyders told Grocott's Mail.
"She was always the same – happy – so we didn't see this coming. It's a loss for PJ Olivier as well, as she was almost a definite pass for our matric class." In a heart-wrenching twist, Marilize's mother revealed how just three days ago, she had found Marilize's last art assignment – which was a poignant portrayal of her family life.
“It showed she was suffering from depression," Patience said. Marilize Stone leaves her parents, Patience and Moses Stone, and siblings, Elton and Algin Stone and Merril Prinsloo. The funeral service for Marilize will be held at the St Mary's Catholic Church, Albany Road, tomorrow at 10am.
