GRANDMOTHER Dinah Smith, who met the love of her life when Devizes man Raymond Smith went to work in Papua New Guinea, has died aged 83.

Mr Smith, 73, was working as an electrician on the island in the Pacific ocean in the early 1970s when he met local girl Dinah Aila and fell in love.

They married in Papua New Guinea in 1971 and moved back to Devizes a year later after the birth of their son Paul. They set up home in Kingsley Gardens and went on to have a daughter Joanne.

Mrs Smith had been a nursing auxiliary in her home country and found work as a domestic assistant at the old Roundway Hospital. She also worked for a number of years in the kitchens of The Bear Hotel.

Mr Smith said: "She found it all a bit strange when she first came to Devizes. When she first saw it snowing she thought the sky was falling in.

"But she loved the town and made many friends. She was a very jolly person and incredibly generous. She was always cooking but she would make sure everyone else had plenty to eat before she would have anything herself. She had a unique character and always thought the best of people."

She joined Salem Chapel in Devizes as she loved to sing.

In the early 1980s the family moved back to Papua New Guinea for Mr Smith's work but returned to Devizes two years later.

In later years Mr and Mrs Smith moved to Belle Vue Road and Mrs Smith was a devoted grandmother to Dan and Reanne.

For the past year Mrs Smith had suffered ill health and had been living in a home in Swindon. She died on Tuesday morning.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be made. Contact Charles S Winchcombe and Son on (01380) 722500.