In case any such member dies from causes other than injuries or illness received or incurred in the performance of his duties and he shall have paid into the fund the full amount of his annual assessments or contributions and served in the employ of the city for five years, then twenty-five per cent of the pension which would have been paid if the deceased member had served in the employ of the city for twenty years, shall be paid to the surviving spouse or minor children, as the case may be. For each additional year of service thereafter, the proportionate amount of the pension to be paid to the surviving spouse or minor children as the case may be, shall be increased to the extent of five per cent over and above such twenty-five per cent for each additional year of service up to and including twenty years.
N.J.S. § 43:19-15