Sounds a bit like a Johnny Cash song " the old man's clock " . As I remember that song it was a grand father clock . It stopped when the old man died . Some people told me of this lady's clock stopping when she died . It might be that it is some thing that there attached to and there energy stops it . Just my guess
p.s. The title of Johnny Cash's song is " my grand father's clock "
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50aZvm7yT44