Lillian Asplund Information

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Matt Endacott

Guest
That's really nice to hear that she's so happy. It's funny how i also portrayed her as "just a Titanic survivor", yet after living close now to a century theres so much more to her life. She was a pioneer of your nation, coming over in the great boom years, she lived through every era, the Roaring 20's right up to now in the Techno Age and is still smiling. To think back on every time in history in the last 100years, and that Miss Asplund lived during it is truely amazing. She is, in her own right one of your national treasures. Imagine the stories she must have of a life spanning 99years!
Best Regards,
Matt
 
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Eric S. Silvia

Member
Jul 14, 2002
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Thanks for the update, Shelley.

It's great to hear about Lillian and am certainly glad that she is stable and enjoys reflecting on her many years of tending to her garden! May she continue to live a healthy and happy life.

Best,
Eric
 
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Phil Martel

Member
May 25, 2004
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Lillian is stome will living in her home with a live-in aid. I saw her in the window last week when I used my snow blower to clear a path. She turned 98 last October.
 
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Mauro Zungri

Member
Jan 11, 2002
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That the great news the knowledge that Lillian is well. From my distant country (Argentina) and I`m family of James Vivian Drew (second class) I have always felt like near the fatal history of Lilliam family, to whom I Like to know me or to contact themselves but that that is impossible. A question does not exist a photo of Liallian of the present time? THANKS! and sorry by my ingles!
 
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Laura Melinda Varjo

Guest
Oh yeah, I'm relieved Lily's alright. I don't know if there is a recent photo of Lillian, but I do know she was a pretty little girl based on her picture taken with her brother Felix(he was so adorable, with a serious little face) back in 1914. I am hoping Lillian will live up to at least 100, so that she'll be not only the latest, but oldest Titanic survivor-ever. She really is wonderful, and lived, (still does) a very noble life never leaving her mother Selma, and staying with Felix.
 
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Laura Melinda Varjo

Guest
Sorry to say thanks this late, I was a little busy before, but thanks for the greeting. My brother and I had two friends who we often hung out with-they were from Argentina. Yeah, good to know.

Adios
 
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Amanda Ratliff

Member
Mar 3, 2001
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So glad to hear that Lillian is doing well. I got a chuckle out of her favorite snack. When I think of the Titanic I think of classy, caviar eating people.

I think it's important to remember that some people acquire admirors and/or fame because they want it. Lillian and many other people acquired it by a very much unwanted tragedy. What is history and fascinating to us was life altering and devistating to them. Here's to another 98 years for Lillian!
happy.gif
 
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Laura Melinda Varjo

Guest
Yeap, that is especially why Lily's the best,she wanted to keep the subject quiet, but that ironically won her attention, and admiration. I just wondered about this: did Lillian keep quiet about the fate of her dad and brothers in school and such ? For some reason I wouldn't have.
 
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Julie Dowen

Member
May 12, 2004
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I'm sure that most her family dying wasn't a subject that Miss Asplund like to talk about - especially when her mother refused to for the rest of her life - hmmm, I wonder why? The entire city of Worcester was very well aware of their deaths as evidenced with the outpouring of contributions and support (see the Worcester Telegram and Gazette articles posted relaying those facts). If we are still talking about their deaths 93 years later, one can be sure that Miss Asplunds classmates were well aware of the facts during their lifetimes. It could be well imagined that Miss Asplund did not want that noteriety and attention as evidenced by her choices not to participate in Titanic related events as an adult. Lets not forget that she was only 5 and not only did she lose her father and older brothers, but she lost her twin. That is not a fact that she probaly wanted to shout out to playmates.
 
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Laura Melinda Varjo

Guest
Yeah. now that Julie you've mentioned all this, wow, as shy as I am in nature, I would have moved out of the city-like to California-if like you've said everyone knew about my family. I don't like to get all that attention-especially for the rest of my life. My grandma also lost a twin brother-but they were a little younger, and even more siblings-so from 11 children only 5 survived to adulthood. It's all horrible, well gotta go.
 
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Julie Dowen

Member
May 12, 2004
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Sorry about your family Laura. It is common thought that a twinless twin feels the death deeper than most whether one survived birth or not- at any age.

As for the Asplunds moving, I'll bet they weren't to eager to travel again and needed to stay close to Selma'a family on Vernon Hill in Worcester. I'm only speculating but I would imagine that Mrs. Asplund was very overprotective of her surviving children and maybe reprocussions of the Titanic disaster in their lives was a reason Lillian or Felix never married. It is so sad to think about Selma and how, if fate had dealt a different hand, she would have probaly been a Grandmother many times over - as it turns out, she never was - the line ends with Lillian. Very, very sad. Again, I'm speculating, but I would imagine survivors guilt plagued the family and probaly, specifically, the children. Probaly even more specificaly Lillian as she had her fraternal twin- of course one lived and one didn't. That's fate for you. I think that it is wonderful that she has lived such a long life and that she didn't choose to define herself by the Titanic disaster that wiped out her family. I wish her many, many more years of health.
 
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Laura Melinda Varjo

Guest
It's ok, hey I wasn't born yet, so I can't feel anything.

Yeah, I had that in my mind. About moving. I know after losing so many of her loved ones, Selma wanted to be with her sister Elin even more, because a mother bringing up alone 2 children in still a "strange" country can be hard,not like I know, just speculating. (Used your word.) So yes, Selma did hold her two remaining children together, and was indeed very overprotective dealing with them. Any parent would do the same, it's just pure and simple human nature. I reason, as to why Lillian and Edvin never married is because of guilt. Ok, three of their siblings were lost in that terrible tragedy-which Lily still recalls and remembered so vividly and there goes that surivals' guilt, like I should have died too. In many aspects, Selma's overprotectiveness parallels to Juliette Laroche's. Juliette didn't even let her two daughters-Simonne(aged 3 when Titanic went down) and little Louise(so cute, aged 1) marry. She cut more slack for Joseph Jr. Thus, in my opinion, it is these two women, whom the Titanic tragedy hit the most, plus my favorite Lillian.
 
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Julie Dowen

Member
May 12, 2004
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FYI- Lillian's mother Selma, had three sisters living in Worcester at the time of the sinking.

Mrs. Olaf Ahlquist, 151 Vernon street, Mrs.John (Elin) Carlson and Miss. Tekla Johnson , 9 Freeland St.

Mr. Asplund had one sister in Worcester, Mrs. Charles E. Carlson, 193 Vernon St.

(according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
 
Shelley Dziedzic

Shelley Dziedzic

Member
Aug 29, 2000
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Hi Darren- yes, we caught that last night and it should be corrected any minute. I think it was meant to read -"the last survivor living in America".
 

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