Death benefits to widow or dependents

Subject to the other provisions of this act, upon the death of any employee member who shall have served or who shall hereafter have served in the employ of the city continuously for a period of at least 5 years, there shall be paid to the surviving widow or widower, so long as he or she remains unmarried; minor children or dependent parent, as the case may be, an amount equal to 2 1/2 % of the salary received by such employee at the time of his death and 2 1/2 % of said yearly salary for each additional year of service more than 1 year, but not exceeding in any event 50% of said salary received at the time of death, and in no instance shall such pension exceed $3,000.00; provided, however, that wherever the provisions of any of the three pension funds which have been merged into the fund, provide for greater benefits for the present members thereof, their widows, widowers, minor children or dependent parent, then and in that event the said widow, widower, minor children or dependent parent shall be entitled to said greater benefits as therein provided; and provided, further, that after 5 years' membership in the retirement system, the pension payment to widow or widower shall not be less than $1,000.00. In the event of the death of a pensioner member the amount of pension payment paid his or her widow or widower shall not exceed the amount of the pension payments he or she received at the time of his or her death and in no event in excess of $3,000.00 annually.