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A heartbroken Teesside family has been left devastated after a devoted mum and son died within weeks of each other. Linda Metcalfe, 71, was organising the funeral of her only son Andrew, 41,

when she became ill and was taken to hospital where she also tragically died. Reeling from the shock, their family held a double funeral and laid the pair to rest together. Linda's

daughters, Carrie and Helen, say they are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their brother and their mum within such a short time. Mum-of-three, Carrie, 45, said: "It has been

horrific, absolutely horrible. It is like half my family wiped out in one go. It does give us a lot of comfort to know they are together, because they were so close, and it is all the

lovely memories that are keeping us going." Carrie said Andrew had been poorly with a few health conditions. She said he got an infection and was in University Hospital of North Tees,

in Stockton, battling sepsis for a while before he passed away on March 23. She said her grief-stricken mum was determined to organise Andrew's funeral herself and was doing that when

she became ill with stomach pains. She went to North Tees Hospital where a colonoscopy was carried out and she died suddenly of a cardiac arrest. The coroner is currently carrying out an

investigation into her death. A funeral service was held for the mum and son earlier this month at Christ The King Church in Thornaby, the town where they lived together. Everyone was asked

to wear bright colours as the family wanted it to be a celebration of Andrew and Linda's lives. Carrie said her brother, a joiner by trade and had more recently run his own painting and

decorating company, was a huge joker, with a 'wicked sense of humour' and they have lots of happy memories to treasure. The eulogy, written by the sisters, said: "It sounds

cliche to say, but it is true, that when mam passed – heaven gained an Angel. She did not have a bad bone in her body. Her children and her grandchildren were her life. From the moment she

became a mother, everything she did was with the three of us in mind." She said Linda brought her children up on her own and said it was 'astonishing' what she managed to

achieve with so much love and laughter. Carrie said: "Anybody who knew mam will remember both the love and the laughter, but also her love of a cup of tea!" She said Linda had a

'heart of gold' and truly cared about other people. She said: "She was an exceptional woman." The heartbroken daughter said they were so proud of the strength Linda

showed when Andrew passed and added: "I don't think it had really sunk in to be honest." Growing up in a house full of women, Andrew was Linda's right hand man and could

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