Editing Lorena Lane McNeil (section)

== Death and Discrepancy in Records ==
[[Lorena McClure]] died on '''July 5, 1953''' at the age of 69<sup>20</sup>. Her [[obituary]], published shortly after her passing, states that she died at her home at '''3 South Street''' in [[Lily Dale]], following a long illness<sup>21</sup>.

However, official [[New York State]] records tell a different story. The [[New York State Death Index]] lists her place of death as [[Collins, Erie County]]—the location of the [[Gowanda State Hospital]]<sup>22</sup>. Her cause of death was recorded as a '''cerebral hemorrhage''' (code 420), and the corresponding death certificate is filed under number '''43563'''. Notably, the index contains a clerical error, listing her surname as “[[McClura]],” which is corrected in the [[Ancestry.com]] transcription<sup>22</sup>.

This discrepancy suggests that while her official place of death was the hospital in Collins, her obituary may have been worded deliberately—perhaps to preserve privacy, respect community perceptions, or reflect a sentimental connection to her home in Lily Dale. The difference between public announcement and institutional record highlights the [[stigma]] that often surrounded [[mental health care]] in mid-20th-century America, as well as the family’s possible effort to frame her passing in more familiar and comforting terms.

Lorena was buried at [[Cassadaga Cemetery]]<sup>23</sup>. [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10437800/lorena-l-mcclure View on Find a Grave]. Years later, the ashes of her daughter [[Fannie McClure Swift]] were interred with her—reuniting the two in death after many years of physical and emotional separation.