The family of an 'unreal' young mum say they have been left devastated after her shock death just two days after getting engaged.
Caring and kind' Kirsty Cracknell, who has a five-year-old son, died on Sunday, December 11, two days before her 31st birthday. She passed away after returning to her home in Hull after her partner had asked for her hand in marriage.
Her brother Craig said her sudden death just weeks before Christmas had turned her family's lives upside down. “It caught everybody by surprise" he said.
READ MORE: The new Greater Manchester covid hotspots as experts reveal what's worrying them
"It’s very difficult, the unexpected, and we as a family have always maintained the mantra of no parent should ever have to bury a child. With that in mind, it’s very difficult. Everyone’s sort of plodding on in their own way but nobody is like what they were before.”
Paying tribute to his sister, a rugby league player and fan, he told Hull Live : “She was just an unreal person. She was very strong-willed. She was very strong-minded and outgoing and loved life. She had so many friends.
“She was working for a care company and she had done that for as long as I can remember. She just had that caring nature. She was gentle and kind but she was also strong and wouldn’t be walked all over.
She loved to be out there doing different things and she was never sat still really.
“She was a go-getter and she pushed forward with everything. No matter what, she just continued to move forward. Kirsty was very much a daddy's girl and doted on him so much. Kirsty loved and was loved by so many people.”
Rich Anderson, a family friend, set up a fundraiser on Go Fund Me to help with the funeral costs after Kirsty's unexpected death. He set a target of £2,000 which he has reached.
Rich said: “When it all happened I had a quick look at how much it is for a bog standard funeral and it was about £1,800-£2,000 so I set the £2,000 target. We hit that and anything else on top of that we’re going to put away for Kirsty’s son for when he’s older or to make the funeral a bit better than just basic.”
Speaking about Kirsty’s son, he added: “He’s only five so he doesn’t know what’s happening too much. He knows his mum is gone. He knows his mum is a star in the sky. He seems in good spirits.”
Rich said that Kirsty had a "real witty sense of humour" and she was "really funny". Kirsty also loved rugby and used to play the sport herself.
Craig added: “She loved rugby league. We’re a massive rugby league family. She played for West Hull RLFC where she started playing rugby before moving to Hull Wyke RLFC. She also represented Yorkshire so she played to a good standard.”
The arrangements for Kirsty’s funeral are still ongoing. People can continue to support her family and her five-year-old son through the Go Fund Me page.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- Tragic beautician was sat in the middle of the road when a car ploughed into her
- The Greater Manchester areas named as Rightmove's UK property hotspots where house prices are soaring
- Bolton Council referred to dead man by wrong name in late apology letter
- Busy Manchester shopping street frozen 40 years in the past in rare photos from 1983
- 'I can't believe it's happened again': Owner's disbelief after BMW obliterates shop
