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'Distraught' husband describes finding wife dead after she went to bed with sore shoulder

Clare Duffy woke up with a sore shoulder but was later found dead by her husband Richard. (Reach)
Clare Duffy woke up with a sore shoulder but was later found dead by her husband Richard. (Reach)

A mother-of-two who woke up one morning with a sore shoulder died suddenly after suffering a pulmonary embolism, her widower has revealed.

Richard Duffy, 38, described how he was left screaming after finding wife Clare dead.

The 41-year-old had gone back to bed for a nap after waking up with a sore shoulder, but never woke up again.

Her husband dialled emergency services but she was pronounced dead on 8 January, leaving behind him and their two heartbroken children.

Clare and Richard Duffy were due to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary but she died suddenly in January. (Reach)
Clare and Richard Duffy were due to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary but she died suddenly in January. (Reach)

"I was emotionally distraught," he told the Manchester Evening News. "I was screaming.

"I ran into my daughter’s bedroom and I was straight on the phone to emergency services. It doesn’t feel real but it all feels like a blur. It went by so quickly."

It was later found that Clare Duffy, from Little Hulton in Salford, Greater Manchester, had died from a pulmonary embolism.

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The death of the mother-of-two, who leaves behind children Harry, 16, and Alice, 15, came just weeks after her own mother Catherine also died suddenly on 19 December.

Her husband added: "It was a big shock. She had not been well for a while and was on a lot of painkillers. [Clare] spent a lot of time with her mum, she had to drive past her house to get to work so she saw her on a daily basis."

Clare Duffy's death came just weeks after her own mother died. (Reach)
Clare Duffy's death came just weeks after her own mother died. (Reach)

Tributes to Clare Duffy described her as a "beautiful, wonderful and bubbly" person who "everybody liked".

Her husband, who had been due to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with his wife, said: "Everybody she met liked her. Her family was her main interest. Any spare time she spent with her daughter, son, nephews or nieces. She was very family-orientated."

He said his teenage children are struggling to come to terms with their mother's death and the family now also have two funerals to pay for.

A Gofundme appeal has been set up to help them raise some of the funds needed, wtih a description saying: "I am humbly asking for a little help so that I can give Clare and her mum the send off they deserve and I am in the process of trying to do this.

"I know Clare and Cath were both loved by so many of the people they met in their eventful lives and I am hoping to show that one more time."