Portsmouth family pay tribute to 'loved' mum-of-five Debbie McIlroy who has died aged just 50

A HEARTBROKEN family have paid tribute to a ‘loved’ Portsmouth mum-of-five who died at the age of 50 – and thanked all who have donated towards her funeral.

By Fiona Callingham

Published 7th Apr 2022, 04:55 BST

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‘Friendly’ Debbie McIlroy was found dead in her home in Nelson Avenue, North End, on Tuesday, March 29 by her eldest daughter Danielle and partner John.

Danielle McIlroy, 29, had spoken to her the night before and said it was a ‘shock.’

An official cause of death has yet to be established.

Debbie McIlroy from Portsmouth

Debbie McIlroy from Portsmouth

Debbie, who worked at Selsey Golf Club, leaves behind five children, aged between 15 and 29, and two grandchildren.

Speaking to The News, Danielle, said: ‘She was so well loved by all her family.

‘I know she was under a lot of stress because she was planning to move house, she was upset the night before but we never thought this would happen.

‘Finding her was the most traumatising thing I have ever seen in my life.’

Left to right: Debbie, John, Bailey, Flo, Shaine, Ralph and Danielle.

Left to right: Debbie, John, Bailey, Flo, Shaine, Ralph and Danielle.

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It had been planned that car dealership worker Danielle was going to move into Debbie’s home with her two children, Ralph, eight, and Flo, six, when Debbie moved out.

However, the family do not want to live in the house following her death and instead Danielle’s two youngest sisters, Bailey and Shaine, have moved into her two-bedroom home in Baffins.

To try to support the family, Danielle’s friend Taylor Rogers set up a Go Fund Me page in Debbie’s memory with the aim of raising money for the funeral. So far more than £2,000 has been donated in less than a week.

Debbie's children: Josh, Grace, Bailey, Danielle and Shaine.

Debbie's children: Josh, Grace, Bailey, Danielle and Shaine.

Taylor, 29, said: ‘I’ve known Debbie for 15 years, I grew up with the family.

‘Debbie was a lovely lady – she was always laughing and smiling.

‘A lot of people who knew Debbie have been really generous donating money because she was well loved.

‘You only have to look at comments on social media to see how popular she was.’

Left to right back row: Ralph, Danielle, Josh, Flo and Grace
Front row: Bailey and Shaine — Left to right back row: Ralph, Danielle, Josh, Flo and Grace Front row: Bailey and Shaine

Left to right back row: Ralph, Danielle, Josh, Flo and Grace
Front row: Bailey and Shaine — Left to right back row: Ralph, Danielle, Josh, Flo and Grace Front row: Bailey and Shaine

Danielle added: ‘Thank you to everyone who has donated – it is really appreciated and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.’

A memorial service for Debbie will be held on April 19 at 2.30pm at the Oaks Havant Crematorium. Anyone who knew Debbie and wants to attend is welcome to.

To donate to the family, visit gofundme.com/f/debbie-mcilroy.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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