The heartbroken family of a longstanding lollipop lady once awarded an MBE for her service have paid tribute to the 'selfless' and 'wonderful' great-grandma.
Jean Gorringe spent more than three decades helping young children cross the road safely outside St James' Primary School in Daisy Hill, Westhoughton, close to where she lived, before retiring in 2008.
Jean was previously awarded an MBE back in 2007 after being nominated by her brother-in-law, first thinking it was a 'wind up' orchestrated by the family. She continued to wear her medal with pride until her passing just days after Christmas, on December 28.
READ MORE Manchester woman, 39, who thought she just had a bad back desperate to get home from Vietnam
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, her granddaughter Jessica Burke said: "There are so many words we could use to describe her and now she has gone, none of them seem enough. She always had family values at heart and was a family orientated woman through and through.
"She loved making children smile every day and always wanted to make people happy. She was very selfless and was always looking out for other people.
"She was a wonderful neighbour and friend and an amazing grandmother and great grandmother. We called her Queenie which was a long running joke between us all."
In 2007, Jean, who has 30 grandchildren and great grandchildren, travelled to Buckingham Palace with her daughter Karen, husband Frank and cousin Jennifer to receive her MBE, which are awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community.
Before her retirement, Jean had worked as a lollipop lady outside the same school for 32 years - and only took two days off work in all that time. She was taken into hospital with a bladder infection before catching the flu and passing away suddenly in hospital on December 28, aged 80.
"She was very proud to wear the MBE," Jessica added. "It shows how much she meant to so many people, helping generations cross the road safely. We didn't expect to lose her as quickly as we did.
"We recently found out my grandad's brother nominated her for an MBE and that she didn't know anything about it and thought it was a wind up when she got a letter from the palace."
Plans are currently being made for Jean's funeral to be held at The Church of St James the Great, in Daisy Hill, beside the school she worked outside for so many years, on January 19.
Read more of today's top stories
READ NEXT:
- Man charged after police called to reports of 'serious sexual assault' at care home
- The bloodbath at Birch Services - and the gentle giant who escaped with his life
- The big name shops that have vanished from Greater Manchester as scale of retail woes revealed
- 'Violent feud involving guns' behind move to increase stop and search powers in north Manchester
- Rail strikes on Tuesday - what commuters in and around Greater Manchester need to know
