Winchester husband and wife suffer serious injuries within days of each other

It’s been a difficult week for the family of Norman and Miriam Struthers. Last Friday morning, Norman Struthers Sr., 73, was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon after being hit by a car on Ashuelot Street in Winchester at about 6 a.m. and suffering serious injuries. He has two broken legs, a damaged spleen, lacerations to his kidney and bleeding on the brain, according to Gabby Lahue, his granddaughter.

On Sunday morning, Norman’s wife, Miriam, 80, was found unresponsive after suffering a stroke the night before, and is being treated at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, Lahue said.

Miriam Struthers continues to receive treatment, but her condition is serious and she has signed a do not resuscitate order. Her family is intending to respect her wishes if the time comes, according to Lahue.

Meanwhile, Norman Struthers remains in a stable condition, but was not alert Tuesday, Lahue said.

Winchester police have investigated the crash and will not be bringing charges due to the low visibility caused by darkness and weather, as well as the lack of reflective gear worn by Struthers, according to Lt. Mike T. Tollett. Tollett said Norman Struthers was out on his road clearing snow, ice and debris when he was struck by a 2008 Kia Spectra driven by Ashli Rhoades, 27, of Ashuelot.

Now, beset by the twin events, family members of the couple are spending their free time shuttling between the two hospitals to see their loved ones. They’ve created a GoFundMe page to raise money for medical expenses and expected funeral costs for Miriam Struthers.

For Lahue, the dual hospitalizations have been devastating. Her grandfather, she says, is outgoing, a fixture in his near-lifelong hometown of Winchester. He’s an outdoors lover and someone who helped out whenever he could.

Norman Struthers was the babysitter for Lahue, 23, and her two brothers while they were growing up. He took them on bike rides, and trips to the store.

“He really took care of us three kids,” Lahue said.

Norman Struthers had a career at a local paper mill, according to Lahue. He worked as a newspaper carrier in Winchester for The Keene Sentinel from 2008 to 2013, according to The Sentinel’s circulation department. And he was a frequent presence at the Sunoco gas station in Winchester, working odd jobs to help with cleaning and removing trash.

Stanley Plifka Jr., owner of the gas station and Kulick’s Market in Winchester, said Norman Struthers is a stand-up Winchester resident who would walk to work at the Sunoco every day.

“He’s just a good old soul, been around town all his life,” Plifka said.

Miriam and Norman Struthers have been married for 53 years. They have two daughters and a son, eight grandchildren and six grandchildren.

Facing a tough period, Lahue says, the family is banding together. “We’re just hanging in there,” she said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family at https://www.gofundme.com/rj5wfz-medical-expensesfuneral-costs. By this morning it had reached $100 in donations.