Ladies First

In 1979, at a  lecture in memory  of his wife , Rav Soloveitchik told the following story.  One cold, winter day in Brisk, Rav Chaim Zalman Lifshitz died.   A poor, old woman died the same day.   It says in Yoreh De'ah,  354:1, that if a man  and a woman die the same day, the woman  must be buried first.    The Chevra Kadisha  wanted to bury R' Lifshitz first,  since he  was held in great esteem,  and
they started  to prepare  R' Lifshitz' body.    Reb Chaim  and R' Simcha Zelig Rieger [the dayan of Brisk] heard about this,  and they went down and hit the  Chevra  Kadisha  members  with   canes  [!!] until  they  started preparing the old woman's body.  They kept the Chevra there until
late at night burying first the woman, and then the rabbi.