A GRIEFSTRICKEN husband was today mourning the death of his “soul mate” after his wife lost a battle with an aggressive cancer.

A GRIEFSTRICKEN husband was today mourning the death of his “soul mate” after his wife lost a battle with an aggressive cancer.

Janette Phillips, a former advertising sales manager for Suffolk Business Magazine and the Suffolk Magazine, passed away at the St Elizabeth Hospice on Monday.

Her husband, Dr Tony Michaels, of Westerfield Road, Ipswich, said: “She was my best friend. The thought of facing life without her is daunting.

“She was a very outgoing person and was the first to help someone in distress. Once you met Janette, you never forgot her.”

The courageous 53-year-old suffered immense pain in the final stages of her nine-year fight with a breast cancer which spread through her body.

Mr Michaels first met Janette shortly before she was diagnosed with a second bout of breast cancer in 2005.

He was keen to marry her even though she thought he would leave her because of her illness.

Dr Michaels, 64, said: “I stood by her. She was my soul mate. There was no way I ever dreamed of leaving her because she meant so much to me.

“She put up a tremendous fight, but she was in so much pain that her death has been a blessing.”

Mrs Phillips, who leaves two children - Hannah, 24, and Grant, 30 - was well-known in the publishing and business community for her unrelenting commitment and passion for whatever she did.

Her colleague Maggi Digby, sales executive for the Suffolk Magazine which is owned by Archant, the parent company of the Evening Star, told how her friend of 17 years always found a way to make things work.

She said: “She was the sales person of all time. If we could not do something one way she would think of another. She made things happen.”

When Mrs Phillips left Archant she set up the successful Best of Suffolk and Best of Norfolk magazines which were distributed to hotels in the region.

Even when she was ill, Mrs Phillips took up painting and art and ended up selling some of her pieces in Ipswich.

Mrs Phillips' funeral is being held at St Margaret's Church, Ipswich, on August 5 at 2pm. The family has asked for family flowers although donations to St Elizabeth Hospice would be gratefully received.

Would you like to pay tribute to Janette? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk