Tributes paid to Kate Downey who has tragically died just months after the death of her partner

17 Mar 2014 19:31

Tributes paid to heartbroken girlfriend, Kate Downey, who has been found dead just months after the death of her partner John-Paul Conley

Kate Downey with partner John-Paul Conley

Heartfelt tributes have been paid to the girlfriend of a man who died in a tragic accident last year.

Kate Downey has died just months after her partner, John-Paul Conley, lost his life while the pair were travelling the world.

“For those who knew them Kate Downey and John-Paul Conley are now together forever,” her brother Lee said on a tribute page to Mr Conley.

“The pain and loss has proved too much for Kate to bear.”

It is believed that Miss Downey was found dead in a room at Newcastle’s International Airport’s Premier Inn on Saturday.

Police and paramedics attended but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

As reported, Mr Conley, a docker at Teesside Docks, had been travelling the world with his archeologist girlfriend, then 29, since July last year.

In November, when the pair had only been in Laos, Southeast Asia, for a few days, he was swept away while swimming in a river on the island of Don Khone.

An online fundraising page was then set up to raise money to hire a helicopter and over £30,000 was raised through generous donations.

But sadly, following the desperate four-day search for the missing 35-year-old from Linthorpe, his body was found on one of the many beaches on the river.

A tribute night was meant to be held this Friday in Mr Conley’s memory. The event, at Acklam Garden City Social Club, has since been cancelled after the tragic news of Miss Downey’s death.

Lee Downey added: “Hope you have found your Shangri-La, having the next great adventure with Jonny. RIP our beautiful sister xxx.”

Many other tributes have also flooded in on Facebook, with one person saying: “Such another tragic loss for the families and friends of them both. Thoughts and prayers to you all and may they both now rest in peace together.”

Another wrote: “When two people are in love and do so many things together they have a few sad times but so so many happy times.

“If they are parted through tragedy the one left living can feel so much pain inside we all can’t see as tears will hide.

“If they feel that they can’t go on we can’t imagine the pain of there broken heart only that they need to be together once again.”