This badly faded picture was hidden
behind the picture of Stan & Pricilla in Fred Fornia's
collection, it was identified in Howard's hand writing as
'Constance'.Constance Hill was 15 and pregnant when she married Frank Fornia who was 30. The family story was that she was a prostitute, committed suicide and was buried in the Hill plot at the Southside Cemetary. We visited the Fairmont Memorial Park in Oct 94. The record for the Hill plot shows Constance Tingley, age 28, 9/12/04. The head stone on her grave shows Constance Fornia. The plot was bought by her brother Ralph the day after her death. The death certificate shows she died of a gun shot wound at the corner of Cresent and Regant Streets and that she was living there.
With the name Tingley, Sarah checked the newspaper archives and found the following article from 9/11/04:
SIGHT OF GUN LURES HER TO DEATH
Mrs. Tingley, Fascinated by Weapon, Takes It From the Dresser
In the opinion of Coroner Smith, an insane fascination, locked in the charms of a loaded revolver, caused Mrs. Constance Tingley, 28 years of age, to take the weapon and kill herself yesterday morning. The revolver was known to be loaded and to be in an upstairs room of her home, and in the belief of the coroner a mental derangement compelled her to take the weapon from the dresser and commit suicide when she saw it.
Mrs. Tingley was the wife of Harry Tingley, and the two lived in the large brick residence of Mrs. Tingley's parents, Mr. and Mrs. James O. Hill, at Crescent avenue and Regal street. Mr. Tingley, who is a machinist's agent, had been ill and out of employment for several months, but apparently he and his wife were always happy since their marriage, and no trace of a mental derangement, which had troubled Mrs. Tingley earlier in life and caused her to be admitted to a sanitarium, had appeared. Up to yeaterday morning the wife seemed perfectly cheerful. During the forenoon she went upstairs, and not appearing for some time, a member of the family went in search of her. She was found on the floor, the 32 caliber revolver in her hand. A bullet wond in the forehead told what had happened. Dr. Gray, the family physician, was sent for, but life was already extinct, and Coroner Smith accompanied Dr. Gray to the family residence.
Mrs. Tingley is survived by her parents and husband and by three children, issue of her first marriage. The Hill family has resided in Spokane for many years.
Complete arrangements have not been made for the funeral, but it will be some time tomorrow.