The community has been left stunned by the sudden death of Andrea Burgess, 55, whose perseverance in the face of tragedy inspired many others.

Friends said that Ms Burgess, who had sought a new life in Costa Rica but had come home for the Christmas holiday, fell ill on Monday and later died in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Survived by her daughter Ebonie, Ms Burgess had seen the lives of both her twin sons Stefan and Ryan cut short. Ryan Burgess, 18, was killed in a crash on Parsons Road in 2006, while Stefan Burgess was murdered in January 2012 when a gunman fired into a party at a residence on The Glebe Road, Pembroke.

No stranger to grief, having lost three siblings, Ms Burgess always credited her strong faith for keeping her going.

In 2012 she said, after the loss of her second son: “I’ve been through this before and I believe God will bring me through again. I have every faith in that.”