A FRIEND has paid an emotional tribute to widow Jackie Leeming at her funeral, telling mourners how she devoted her life to her family.

Jackie, whose husband Geoffrey was murdered almost nine years ago in the garage at their home in Haxby, died of cancer.

Her funeral at York Crematorium was told yesterday that she had fought her illness for a long time, not for herself but to protect her "beloved family."

A friend, Emma Hollinrake, said: "I have never met anybody who devoted their whole life to their family as Jackie did."

Fighting back tears, she revealed that Jackie, who had always had a sense of humour, had wondered before she died whether Emma would find anything good to say, but she need not have worried. "There's plenty good to say," she said.

Jackie had been an honest person who spoke her mind, and was one of the strongest individuals you could meet. "She never crumbled in the face of adversity."

Geoffrey's killing, which is one of North Yorkshire Police's few unsolved murder cases, was not referred to directly during the service.

The Evening Press was given permission to attend the funeral

Updated: 11:05 Friday, August 05, 2005