THE life of a loving grandmother best known for her tireless work helping animals, raising thousands of pounds for good causes in the process, was marked at a funeral this week.

Friends and family gathered at Gorleston Crematorium on Wednesday in memory of Rosemary Good, who died at her Burgh Castle home surrounded by loved ones earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.

The extensive charity efforts of the 61-year-old spanned three decades and were borne by her love of creatures great and small, giving a huge boost to animal groups both locally and across the globe.

And it was ahead of her funeral that husband David paid tribute to Mrs Good, who he described as “the best looking girl I had ever seen.”

The couple married at St Mary’s Church in Great Yarmouth in 1969, less than a year after first meeting, and it was after working in a range of jobs that Mrs Good moved into charity work by fundraising for disability charity Dial UK.

From there, she became more involved with animal charities including Hickling based FAITH animal rescue, for whom she raised �45,000 by running her own shop during the 90s.

Her dedication to the cause also benefited a cat rescue centre in Mattishall, and it was after one of her many holidays to Greece with her husband that she set up Friends of Animals on Gorleston’s Lowestoft Road, which helped fund Faza Aegina- an animal refuge on the island of Aegina for stray dogs.

“She decided she would help them and she did,” said Mr Good, who helped deal with finances at the shop.

“She was very single minded in these things and enjoyed running the show, and we became part of the community out there. “She did the hard work, and it was a case of 24 hours a day eight days a week with her- she just loved animals.”

With the shop, an Aladdin’s cave of donated items, she orchestrated a group of volunteers to help raise more than �105,000 for the Greek shelter.

These efforts continued with another shop set up in Gorleston in aid of Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue centre in Hemsby, but it was after a long fight with cancer having been first diagnosed in 2007 that she had to step back from her good work.

“The shops gave her a focus on life which kept her mind off things,” added Mr Good.

Mrs Good, who also had a love of television soaps, spent her last few weeks being cared for at her home. Following news of her death, Faza Aegina will be erecting a plaque in her memory.

John Garner runs Foxy Lodge with his wife Tonia. He said: “She did a lot for us and was a big supporter. She loved animals and raised an awful lot of money for them and did it all off her own back.

“She was passionate about them and devoted her life to them and was unwavering in her beliefs, as well as single minded in doing whatever she could to help animals- there’s not many like her around.”