By Safira Ali

Last updated 13:36, Wednesday, 25 June 2008

The family of a Whitehaven woman who died from cancer last week have described her as the soul of the party.

Sharon Buck

Sharon Buck, of Thornton Road, lost her year-and-a-half long battle with cancer. She had been cared for at her home for months by her family before she passed away.

Yesterday her family gave a heartfelt tribute about her life and said she will be deeply missed.

Her husband Darren said Sharon, 32, first noticed her ill health when she was running down her street last January. She thought she had pulled something in her groin, or slipped a disk, but the pain did not disappear.

The doctors did not know what her condition was at first, and could not find the source of the cancer.

“It was at the back of the pelvis. This January doctors realised it was cancer at the back of the pelvis and tried to treat it with chemotherapy. But after medical complications they decided to stop the treatment, and she turned down the offer of radiotherapy because there was the risk it could shorten her life.

Darren said: “She couldn’t walk. She was in bed all the time. The doctor said they could offer radiotherapy but it could have shortened her life. She even helped organise her own funeral.”

He said she had always been a cheerful, bubbly person, and always thought of others before herself.

He said: “She wanted cheerful people in the house. When she knew nothing could be done she wanted us to be happy.

“She had a very good sense of humour. She was always laughing and was the soul of the party. She was smiling and caring. She always put other people before herself. She was quite happy being a family person, wife and a sister. She was very content and very happy.

“Even when she was ill she would always say there were other people worse off than her.”

Darren added: “She was very strong willed. She wasn’t scared of giving her opinion. The nurses said she was cheerful, bright and bubbly. The doctors said she was a great person.”

Her mum Anne Richards said: “We stayed strong because of her. The strongest we were was when we were sitting with her.”

Sharon had been a mid-day supervisor at Jericho School. She did a course to become a teaching assistant. She later worked as a pre-school leader at Rainbow, Mirehouse.

She attended Whitehaven Infants and Juniors, and later Whitehaven Secondary School.

He added: “She loved it. She wouldn’t give it up. She was an amazing woman.”

She is survived by two children, Jade, 14, and Connor nine. Her mother and father Anne and Tom Richards, and brother Michael.

Sharon’s funeral will be held today at St John’s Church, Hensingham, at 2.30pm, followed by cremation at Distington Hall Crematorium.

• You can leave your tributes to Sharon Buck here