Mother-of-two Jane Kitchener, who was diagnosed with lung cancer this summer and went into hospital on her birthday on July 4, has died at her Pewsey home.

Mrs Kitchener, 59, lived in Bailey Close with her partner Chris Walters.

The funeral is tomorrow at 10.30am at St Lawrence Church in Hungerford, where she lived previously, and will be followed by cremation at Thatcham.

Mrs Kitchener and her late husband John, drummer with the band Country Fever, moved from Hungerford to live in Pewsey with their two daughters, Emily and Katie, about 11 years ago, a few months before Mr Kitchener died from lung cancer.

She was born in Newbury, the oldest of four children, and she went to John O’Gaunt School in Hungerford.

After leaving school she joined Hungerford Town Council and later Newbury District Council doing secretarial work.

She met John Kitchener in early 1970 and they were married in 1974 in Hungerford where they lived at Newtown and later in Hungerford itself where she worked for Oakes Bros, the agricultural engineers.

It was at Oakes Bros she met Chris Walters, who later became her partner after her husband’s death, and she continued to work for them until last Christmas.

They lived in Vale Road in Pewsey until moving into Bailey Close eight years ago.

Mrs Kitchener loved to entertain and throw parties and her daughter Katie said: “She was a fantastic host and loved having the house full of people.”

Daughter Emily said: “She always organised our Christmases and our holidays.”

Partner Mr Walters said Mrs Kitchener organised Christmases in hired cottages in Cornwall and Dorset for her family, never daunted by how many of her family turned up.

In recent years she and Mr Walters had loved travel and visited many parts of Europe plus Canada and the USA.

Even after her illness was diagnosed and treatment left her confined to a wheelchair she went on holiday to Portugal and stayed in London where they visited shows, went on the London Eye and saw Buckingham Palace.

In her final months she was cared for at home with the help of Prospect Hospice nurses and by her sister Marie who said: “We are so appreciative for their help and guidance.”

Mrs Kitchener is survived by her two daughters, her mother, sister Marie and brother Richard and by her partner Chris.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked for donations to the Prospect Hospice c/o funeral directors Thomas Free, The Parade, Marlborough.