A young mum who was found dead in the River Mersey "tried her best to cope for the sake of her boys" after losing her husband-to-be.
Helen O'Brien was last seen on September 25 when she went to visit friends but was not heard from for several days.
The 35-year-old was tragically found dead on October 2, in the River Mersey near Seacombe , by police who had been out searching for her.
The mum-of-two, from Warrington, was said to be grieving for her partner Kevin Reilly who died from a heart attack just weeks before the couple were due to be married last year.
Helen's heartbroken parents, Gregg and Linda McBreen have paid an emotional tribute to their "kind and generous" daughter who said she had "fought so hard" for her children after facing tragic circumstances.
The devastated parents said: “We will always remember our Helen as the beautiful, kind and generous person that she was; a brilliant mother to her two sons, and a shining light in all of our lives.
"Since Helen lost Kevin so suddenly last year, she has done her best to cope for the sake of her boys.
"She fought so hard to get the boys to where they are now, through everything that life threw their way.
"She was so brave to the end, and we are very proud of her.
"The pain of Helen's passing is hard to put into words. We are lost, we are down, and we are weakened, but we won't stay that way for long.
"We now have the most important job of all; to be pillars of strength, love & courage for the boys as they grow into strong men.
"Men that will always know how much they are truly loved, by their mum and dad, and the rest of their family.
"While we are heartbroken, we take some comfort in knowing that Helen is back in the arms of her soulmate, and that they are together for all eternity.
"Not a day will ever pass where we won't think of both of them. We will miss them always.”
Friends of the family have now set up a GoFundMe page to support the family and Helen's two sons.
The page has raised £3,795.
