“You made me the happiest man alive; you made me who I am today.”
They were the heartbreaking words of Shane Snowling in tribute to his wife, Mandy Snowling, who was killed in a six-vehicle collision on the A12 on Friday.
The 43-year-old mother of six was driving one of four cars involved in a collision near the Copdock Interchange, which also involved two lorries.
Paying tribute to his soul mate last night, Mr Snowling said: “My baby girl Mandy, from the first time we met we knew we would be together forever.
“You made me the happiest man alive; you made me who I am today.
“I would tell everyone what you would do for me and that you were the best wife in the world.
“We were best mates, soul mates and totally in love, even after nearly 15 years.
“You were a fantastic mum, step-mum and nanny.
“There are no words to say how much I miss you and how broken hearted I am.
“I wanted to keep you safe forever but you’ve been taken from me.
“I sit here waiting for my darling to come through the door, but that’s now lost.
“I just want you to know that my heart is always going to be yours and I will love you forever, Mandy. Yours always.”
Mrs Snowling leaves behind her husband; children Georgina, 22, Jordan, 18 and Louise, 13; step-children Cory, 22, Ryan, 20 and Ellece, 14, and grandchildren Ruben, Lily May and Noah.
Her children and step-children have paid tribute to the “beautiful, wonderful woman” that she was.
Together, they told this newspaper: “Losing you so early has left a big hole in our hearts. You were taken way too soon.
“We will miss you being there for us, the laughs we have had. We will miss the holidays we used to have as a family.
“Not just our mum, but a nannie to our babies, and a best friend.
“You were loved by so many people and will be missed by every single one of us.
“We will make sure that Ruben, Noah and Lily-May know how much of a great nannie you were and what a kind-hearted woman you were.
“You were such an amazing person.
“Sleep tight mum, love you always. Fly high. We will be thinking of you every day. You will never be forgotten, always in all our hearts.”
They added: “Mum was such a wonderful woman. She lifted everyone’s spirits and kept the family together, no matter what.
“She made everyone else smile. She was the most beautiful, amazing mum, no ordinary mum.
“She’s inspired us so much and now I hope she’s watching over us all from afar and we hope we can make her proud.
“Love you mum. Thank you for an upbringing we won’t ever forget. You made us feel so loved. We miss you.”
Mandy’s parents, Mary and Terry, paid tribute to their daughter yesterday. In a joint statement, they said: “Our loving daughter has been taken too early, but will be in our hearts forever.”
Her brother, Gary, and his partner Abi added: “Forever in our hearts. An amazing auntie to our boys, and a beautiful sister.”
Emergency services were called to the northbound carriageway around 12.40pm to reports of a serious collision.
The incident involved a red Mazda 6, a black Vauxhall Zafira, a black Toyota Hilux and a blue BMW 320, as well as two Volvo HGV lorries.
A man and woman who had been travelling in the Vauxhall Zafira sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment but were later discharged. The road was closed until around midnight to allow an investigation into the circumstances of the collision to take place.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision, or anyone who may have captured the incident on their dash cam, to call the Serious Collision Investigation Team on 101 quoting CAD 155 of April 20.
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