Heartfelt tributes have been paid to a 'beautiful spirit' remembered for her kindness and will to help others.

Mary Joyce Quigley, known as Joyce, sadly died on October 30 aged 82.

A mum-of-three, grandma-of-six and great-grandma-of-eight, Mrs Quigley lived in West Shore, Walney for the last 20 years of her life.

Known as a ‘nurser’ of injured birds, ‘taker inner’ of persistent cats and 'adopter' of other people’s children, Mrs Quigley went above and beyond for others.

Born in the Isle of Man in 1939, Mrs Quigley was evacuated from her home at three years old during World War Two.

After travelling to the mainland for work, Mrs Quigley moved to Barrow and lived with her husband Ray in a two-bedroomed terraced house in Ormsgill alongside their three adopted children.

In the late Sixties, the couple fostered a number of children including baby Timmy, later adopting twins Nigel and Victor.

In 1972, the pair adopted a three-month-old orphan, originally born in Manchester, named Amanda.

"It's amazing what they did," the now 49-year-old Amanda, who works as a music teacher in Liverpool, said.

"They were always open about the fact that we were adopted. Mum always said she would help us find our birth parents in the future if we wanted.

"Mum and dad didn’t have much money but they made up for any lack of material fancies with the necessity of nurturing their family, the basis of which being unconditional love.

"Dad brought his wage packet home unopened and mum was a budget queen, making sure the family lived within its means, and would squirrel away treats to be revealed at an opportune moment.

"Mum made sure our minds, hearts and imaginations were steeped in her values: DIY, make and mend, drawing, crafts, dancing, singing, love of animals and nature, playing games together, including bowls, ludo, cards, darts and snooker on the kitchen top table and all with humour.

"Our Sunday afternoons were filled by long walks with her rescued dogs Lucky and Buster, home for tea in time for Worzel Gummidge, a bath and then bed.

"Kindness to others and helping those in need was summed up in sentences such as ‘turn the other cheek’, ‘if you’ve nothing good to say, don’t say it’ and ‘there’s always someone worse off than yourself’.

A 'master knitter', Mrs Quigley enjoyed a number of hobbies throughout her lifetime, including: knitting, bowls, darts, oil painting, jiving, squash and more.

"Mum loved her home comforts and keeping traditions alive," her daughter, Amanda said.

"Animals were a massive part of her life. At one point, she had budgies, two dogs, four cats and two parrots.

"She loved kitting – she made me beautiful quilts, cushion covers and jackets. She was a very creative person.

"Apart from being a master knitter, mum’s greatest talent was oil painting; I know she would have loved to have taken this further but she gave her genius to her family first and foremost so any pursuit of her own interests always took second place.

"A keen squash player with my dad (in the early days of their marriage) her confidence was later bolstered through winning trophies in bowling and darts competitions.

"A woman of her time, mum believed in the importance of child rearing, home making and the sanctity of marriage.

"Mum was gentle, shy and had a real sense of fairness. She was a positive person who was very family-oriented.

"She always tried to do the best for us all. Her kindness is always something which stands out.

"Mum and dad were parted only by the death of my dad in 2011 after 49 years of married life. They’re dancing the jive together again now."