The widower of any county probation officer who shall die from any cause while in the service, whether such county probation officer shall have served as such for a continuous period of twenty years or not, or whether such county probation officer shall have reached the age of sixty years or not, shall receive a pension, so long as he shall remain unmarried, equal to one-half the amount of the annual salary of such county probation officer at the time of her death, and upon the death of such widower, or in the event there be no widower, the child or children of such probation officer, under the age of sixteen years shall, until each reaches the age of sixteen years, receive the proportionate amount of such pension; provided, however, that no pension shall be paid to the surviving husband of any deceased probation officer unless such surviving husband was wholly dependent for his income upon such county probation officer at the time of her death, and shall continue to remain so dependent upon the income which such probation officer was receiving at the time of her death; and further provided, that such surviving husband shall be and continue to remain physically or mentally incapable of pursuing some gainful occupation. The question of dependency, as well as ability to pursue some gainful occupation, of the surviving husband shall be determined in the same manner as the permanent incapacity of probation officer as provided for in section 43:10-51 of this title.