A mum-of-two said people crossed the road to avoid talking to her when her husband died.
Kathy Ford had just quit her job in education to support her two sons - Elliott and Oliver - through their GCSEs and A Levels when her partner and their dad, Keith Hepplewhite, died of a heart attack at the age of 57. She met the kind and funny man on a dancefloor in Newcastle in 1999.
They spent nearly 20 years together, raising a family and moving to the North West, where Keith worked on landscaping and ground management contracts in Liverpool. The couple decided not to marry due to the cost, instead putting the money towards their home, family holidays, and university and clubs for the boys.
