Grieving family thank the people of Hucknall for their support after grandmother's tragic death

Patricia Wilson’s family have also expressed their thanks to the people of Hucknall for their support before and after her death.

Patricia, 89, went missing from her home on Monday, January 15 and her body was found by police near King Edward Street in the town shortly before 2pm the following day.

Hundreds of people helped look for Patricia, shared appeals on social media and expressed heartfelt sympathy when the awful news came through.

The family now want, through the pages of the Dispatch, to thank all those who helped.

Stacy Slaney, Patricia’s granddaughter, said: “I just want to thank the police, especially PC Nolan, who was with the family on the Monday, and Richard and the search team, and everyone who helped out by looking for her when she went missing, everyone who shared the messages from the police and the people and wellwishers who were there for us.”

Patricia was born in 1934 in Mansfield and grew up in Arnold.

After a period in Scarborough, due to her father being in the RAF, the family moved back to Arnold and then Lenton. Patricia left school at 15 and started as a machinist at Simpsons in Lenton.

Keen to be a farmer, she worked on a farm in Southwell in her early 20s. where she learned to drive a tractor. She met her husband at an agricultural show. and they lived in South Kyme, Lincolnshire, before moving to Papplewick in 1960.

She became an avid Dispatch reader, taking a copy of the paper every week and keeping family-related clippings in a scrapbook.

Patricia also used to clean at the Griffin’s Head in Papplewick and it was in 2002 when she moved to Hucknall.

She would walk to the town centre most days, regularly going to Lawrence Severn butcher’s, Bird’s, Costa and the Sweet Cafe.

Her great love was dancing, which she enjoyed at least three times a week. As a member of an over-60s club she enjoyed day trips and holidays.

She particularly liked Blackpool trips as she could dance at the famous Tower Ballroom. She used to proudly say she knew more than 100 dances.

Last year, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia, but would continue to be independent.

Stacy continued: “My brother’s just had a baby and she wanted to go and see them, even though he’s moved to Australia.

"We would tell her, ‘it’s a long way grandma, 24 hours on plane’ – ‘I don’t care, I’m going’, she would reply.

"She was determined nothing was going to put her off or stop her, so it’s so sad that she never got to go.”

During the final few months Patricia wasn’t able to continue with her dancing but that didn’t stop her playing her favourite music and dancing in her flat.

When confused she would say she was ‘going to la la land’.

She would also say, ‘when I go, I want singing and dancing, I want to dance the night away.

Stacy continued: "It’s been such a horrible shock, but we just want to remember the best times of her.

"She was just so full of life, everything was fun with her.”

Patricia’s funeral is to be held on Wednesday (February 21) at Hucknall Parish Church with donations in lieu of flowers to Dementia UK.