THE family of a former nurse, whose body was found in the River Avon has paid tribute to the wonderful, caring woman who was their wife and mother.

Patricia Curry was discovered at The Moorings, by Pensham Hill, near Pershore, on Monday after she disappeared from her home in the early hours of Monday, April 18.

Her husband John said his wife has been very upset when she went missing.

"We had some idea it was serious when she didn't return," he said. "It has been terribly traumatic."

Mr Curry described how his 68-year-old wife - known as Pat to her friends - had dedicated her life to looking after sick children.

"She was very caring and was a real lover of children," said the 70-year-old, of Mount Pleasant, where the couple had lived for just three weeks.

Although she enjoyed poetry and reading in the privacy of her home, he described how she could also be the 'life and soul of the party'.

"She had a great sense of humour and a whole range of stories to tell," he said.

The couple were born in Glasgow and married in 1974 before having their sons Vincent, aged 29 and 27-year-old John.

"She was a wonderful mother," added Vincent.

Mrs Curry trained as a nurse in Glasgow and spent 17 years at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital before retiring in 2003.

Friend and former colleague Agnes Lockhart said: "Throughout her entire nursing career she devoted herself with great skill and much love to nursing sick children.

"She was of the old school, an excellent caring nurse, supportive colleague and a wonderful friend."

The couple moved to Fladbury, near Evesham in 1982, before moving to Worcester and Pershore.

The funeral will take place at the Holy Redeemer Church in Priest Lane, Pershore, from 1pm on Wednesday.

Donations can be made to the Acorns Children's Hospice, for life-limited children where Mrs Curry hoped to work as a volunteer, via funeral directors E Hill and Son in Defford near Pershore by calling 01386 552141.