Crawley family '˜heartbroken' after sudden loss

Michaela Fryer died unexpectedly while she was on a family outing in London on January 23.

“She was known to us as our little Michaela, named after me,” her aunt Michaela Donaghey, who lives in Gossops Green, said.

“I am all over the place really. She was like a daughter to me”, she said, saying that Michaela had lost her mother five years ago, and her father when she was five years old.

“She was the most caring person, she just looked after everyone.”

Michaela was born and raised in Bristol after her mother moved there from Crawley.

“We are a large family from Crawley. It was a big part of her life,” her aunt said.

“She was an amazing entrepreneur,” she added, saying that her and her husband Howard Fryer had bought a farm and ran a bed and breakfast in Bristol together.

Michaela and Howard were married in Mexico in May 2014, with lots of family from Crawley flying out to help celebrate her special day.

“I never expected to walk her down the aisle,” her aunt said. “I never expected my son to be carrying her coffin.”

Asked what defining qualities she would remember most about her niece, Miss Donaghey replied: “Her kindness, generosity and the love she gave to everyone. She just lit up the room.”

Michaela was very close to her Crawley family, Miss Donaghey said, including her uncles Alistair, Jim and John, and her aunt Kathy.

Her and Miss Donaghey’s 29-year-old daughter Jade Farr were ‘like sisters, she added.

Writing on Facebook, Jade described the day she lost Michaela as ‘truly the hardest day of my life’ saying she felt ‘beyond heartbroken’.

“The happiness Michaela brought to our family, her friends and her wonderful husband Howard Fryer cannot be put into words as cannot the hurt we are all feeling now,” she added.

“We all love you so much and will miss you everyday.”

Michaela’s funeral is in Bristol tomorrow.

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