Two days ago, Annette Dionne, the last of the world-famous Dionne quintuplets, the first quints born who all survived and, I believe the ONLY identical quintuplets in medical history, died at the age of 91. Her sister, Cecile, died in July, and somehow I missed her obituary.
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| Annette and Cecile in later years |
It is hard to understate just how major a story the quints' births were. They were biologically unique, and, during the Great Depression, millions of people avidly followed their journey from childhood to adulthood. It took people's minds off of the economic catastrophe so many were suffering. However, despite or because of the publicity, the quints being major tourist attractions in Canada, and the money generated from souvenirs and collectibles, the girls' lives were very hard and in fact quite miserable for many years.
They were treated as lab specimens, and they did not have any kind of normal family life at all growing up. It was amazing they turned out as well as they did.
Emilie was the first to pass away. She was only 20 years old. She died before I was born, in 1954, I believe of epilepsy. Marie passed away in 1970 at the age of 35. The last three lived for many years thereafter, and they weren't hesitant to tell the world about how horribly they were exploited as children. Yvonne passed in 2001, aged 67. They were born May 28, 1934.
Here is a snip from Cecile's obituary from July:
The Ontario government removed the quintuplets from their family when they were just four months old. The province deemed their parents unfit after agreeing to display them at the Chicago World's Fair (though they later changed their mind).
In government care, the sisters were moved into a special nursery and observatory called Quintland, with scheduled viewing times for the public.
In Quintland, the girls were tended to by a team of nurses and were put on display for thousands of curious tourists.
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As the article notes, the parents sued for custody of the quints and got them back when they were nine, but it was little better, as the quints alleged their father abused them.
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| In their heyday |
The Dionne Quints Museum reported that Annette, the last living member of the family, passed away on December 24.
"It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Annette on Christmas Eve," the Dionne Quints Museum posted on social media on Boxing Day.
"Much beloved, Annette had championed children's rights. She believed it was important to maintain the Dionne Quints Museum and the history it provides for the future of all children."
Annette was the only surviving Quint and was the last surviving sibling amongst the 14 children of the Dionne family.
The museum's website is here.
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