Her days as head of the household had melted into weeks; the weeks into months - would months become years?
Yesterday, her neighbours Mr and Mrs Harris were told they'd never see their son again.
She wasn't ready for that ...
New Zealand goes to war
When news of the war made its way to New Zealand shores, a flurry of excitement swept the nation.
The first men to sign up were worried the war would finish before they got there, according to New Zealand's First World War Heritage, a new book by leading New Zealand historians Imelda Bargas and Tim Shoebridge.
The country was in a strong position to contribute to the British war effort, according to Bargas and Shoebridge.
Most recruits had basic military skills, thanks to a 1909 Defence scheme, and New Zealand's dependence on the British Empire meant we didn't have to be told twice to provide support.
Guns, uniforms, tents, horses and gear were rapidly assembled and civilian vessels were refitted as troopships.
Conscription didn't apply until after Gallipoli, meaning the men who trained, travelled, fought and lost their lives were chiefly enthusiastic volunteers.
Popular slogans of the time included: "Go to war; see the world" and "Fight for your nation and for the good of the Empire".
These notions drove tens of thousands of Kiwis to voluntarily enlist but were unfortunately a far cry from reality.
By the end of the Gallipoli campaign in 1916, New Zealand had suffered a heavy loss, with 2779 fallen soldiers - approximately a fifth of those who served - and 5212 wounded.
Our first full engagement in World War I would be remembered as the country's most significant military battle and a strong contributor to our national identity.
The men who stayed
The country's population at the time was just over one million.
Of that million, New Zealand supplied more than 100,000 men for overseas service during the war. In some small towns almost all eligible men volunteered, leaving their towns bereft of working-age men.
Nearly 17,000 New Zealanders were killed and more than 41,000 wounded.
With voluntary service in place during Gallipoli, men who didn't fight in the campaign included basically anyone who didn't want to, New Zealand historian and writer Ron Palenski says.
Still, there were some who were automatically excused.
They were deemed "essential workers" by the government, Palenski says.
"A whole range of men didn't go," he says. "There were age limits of course, so men that were older and younger didn't go but there were also lots that were in occupations that were considered essential to the continued efficient running of the country."
Farming was a major contributor to New Zealand industry so farmers were largely required to stay.
Men in service industries such as doctors and teachers were also excused, as were railway engineers and train drivers.
Professional soldiers made up 5 per cent of New Zealand's expeditionary force, Palenski says. The remainder were civilian soldiers.
The professionals who went to war held officer positions. Others stayed and worked as instructors in training camps.
Then there were those who outright refused to go to war.
Waikato was seen as the centre of opposition to Maori participation where conscription was imposed on Maori from Tainui-Waikato. The Waikato leader, Te Puea Herangi, supported those men who resisted conscription, which led to her being called a German sympathiser.
Only a handful of Tainui conscripts were ever put into uniform and none were sent overseas.
The women and children
Women did what women always do - they worried about their sons, husbands and boyfriends, Palenski jokes.
"There wasn't any military roles for women, though many contributed in some way to the war effort.
"Some went away as nurses - not to Gallipoli, but to help with the war effort generally - but not many if you look at the big picture. There was about 550 who went."
Women at home also fundraised for the welfare of the troops, he says. "They did things like knitting that were seen as 'womanly' things at the time.
"Some went into occupations held by men while the men were away, but not many. Women going into men's roles wasn't nearly as big of a thing as it was in Britain."
Women also maintained their traditional wife and mother roles, he says. "Women played as crucial a role as always. If a mother told her son he couldn't sign up, he wouldn't have."
Meanwhile, being a child during the Gallipoli campaign, and in war as a whole, was pretty much the same as being a child at any time, Palenski says.
"I don't think children were affected at all. They didn't have the males they were used to around, and I guess they were affected when their fathers or brothers did or didn't come home, but otherwise their lives pretty well carried on as normal.
"Teachers were an essential occupation so their schooling continued throughout."
About town
Images of townships during Gallipoli wouldn't look very different than either side of the war, Palenski says.
"If you looked at a photo of a town, say Hamilton, taken in 1915 and another one taken in 1925, I don't think you'd notice a discernible difference.
"Transport pretty well ran as normal. Again, running the transport were considered essential occupations.
"There might have been a bit of change getting troops up the country, in that they would have priority on trains and ferries, but I'm not aware of any major impact."
Food rationing was a major factor of home life during World War II, but not World War I, he says.
Michael King's The Penguin History of New Zealand points to one major change, particularly post-Gallipoli and post-war.
The jingoism and pain experienced by bereaved families generated intense hostility towards people thought to be shirkers or disloyal.
"People of German descent were treated badly - butchers' shops were wrecked, barbers forced to close their premises and, in Christchurch, the bells of the Lutheran church were smashed.
"Many Continental European immigrants, especially the Dalmations from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, were interned as aliens," he wrote.
News from the front
Largely, New Zealand would have been oblivious to the true nature of what was going on in the conflict at the time. The war was a long way away. There wasn't radio or television and only some people read newspapers.
Information from official sources was constricted.
Reporters could go only where permitted and they were limited in what they could write about.
An article from the New Zealand Herald archive entitled "New Zealand Wins Praise at Gallipoli" exemplifies the filtered news people received.
Published in August, 1915, the article detailed a telegram from British General Sir Ian Hamilton, who commanded the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Gallipoli Campaign.
It quotes: "I cannot tell you how magnificently the whole of the New Zealand troop artillery, mounted rifles, infantry and Maoris have done in our recent very severe fighting.
"Trench after trench and ridge after ridge were successfully taken by them with dash which prevented the Turks making any stand against them and over country as precipitous and difficult as that which we took on landing."
Soldiers also weren't able to detail their whereabouts or how many of their comrades had been injured or killed.
Censorship officers blacked out parts of soldiers' letters which could give anything away to the enemy.
"It was a very different time," Palenski says. "It's very hard for anyone who hasn't lived through that period to imagine what it would have been like, especially now, where we expect information immediately.
"No radio and no TV made things very different and there was certainly no such thing as Twitter!"
The massive losses at Gallipoli changed the way war was reported in New Zealand. It was the first time lengthy casualty lists began being published in newspapers.
At the time however, life in Godzone carried on as normally as possible as, for better or worse, most wives, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters had very little knowledge of what happened during the conflict until it was over.
NZ during gallipoli campaign
April 25, 1915 - January 9, 2016
Population: Just over 1 million
Head of state: George V
Governor: The Earl of Liverpool
Governing party: Reform Party then coalition government with Liberal Party
Prime Minister: William Massey
Speaker of the House: Frederic Lang
Leader of the Opposition: Joseph Ward
Incumbent All Blacks captain: Dick Roberts
Ranfurly Shield holders: Wellington
Price of milk: Four pence
