Hundreds gather in Barrow to celebrate the life of Jo

St Mary's Church in Barrow was filled to capacity on Friday, with some standing outside, for the funeral of Jo-anne Davies, who passed away last week.

The 38-year-old, who was wife to Matt, daughter of Norma and Jack, and sister to Sam, fought a brave battle against cancer, having first been diagnosed five-and-a-half years ago.

The passing of the Evening Mail journalist of 17 years prompted a flurry of heartfelt tributes from across the community.

And the extent to which she was loved shone through once more as people travelled from across the country and from abroad to attend.

The service was led by Father Andrew Allman, who said: "A great source of strength to the family has been the courage and dignity with which Jo faced her illness.

"And in a similar way, she strengthened you for this moment. There can't be a better tribute than to see such a great crowd.

"Jo was simply a wonderful person and her passing will leave a huge void in the life and hearts of those who knew and loved her."

On behalf of colleagues at the Evening Mail, Jonathan Lee, managing director of CN Media Group (Barrow), told the service: "It takes a special person to be an outstanding journalist and a sensitive, caring human being. Make no mistake, Jo was a special person.

"As a journalist, she was a dream to work alongside. She took enormous pride in all aspects of her job and it shone through in all of her actions and in all of her words.

"During her 17-year career at the Evening Mail, she set standards in so many ways, particularly in her approach that if a job was worth doing, then it was worth doing well."

Mr Lee said that Jo treated every assignment, no matter how big or small, with "warmth and genuine interest in people - she was always professional and gave her best". 

He added: "What made her so special at her job, is that she cared about people she met and wrote about. 

"As her wonderful husband Matt said, 'when you enjoy your job, you've cracked it', and she really loved hers."

Jo started at the Evening Mail as a post-graduate on work experience and quickly became a "top-quality, highly respected writer", said Mr Lee. 

As described by her former colleague and features editor, Claire High, Jo was "passionate about good causes" and helped raise awareness of many local issues. 

Joanne Holmes, the mum of Barrow teenager Harrison Holmes, who has cerebral palsy and several health problems, said her articles about her son "saved his life". 

Mr Lee said: "There can be no greater accolade to any journalist than that."

The service was told that Evening Mail staff would support Jo's three chosen charities - Furness General Hospital oncology unit, St Mary’s Hospice and the Eve Appeal - and complete the Keswick to Barrow Walk.

Mr Lee said "we would all do well to live our lives the Jo Davies way", and finished with words from former Evening Mail journalist Helen Perkins, who said: "Jo was so nice to everyone. 

"The kind of nice that English doesn't have the vocabulary for. Jo was kindness walking."

The funeral was told of Jo's passion for fell walking and love for travel. 

She and husband Matt back-packed around the world in 2004 and got engaged in New York, on Christmas Eve - her favourite time of year - before marrying in December 2006. 

Jane Smith told the service that she met Jo at Chetwynde School, age four, and was lucky to be best friends ever since. 

She said Jo was able to make people "feel special" and "lit up the room with her beautiful big eyes and smile". 

Jane described how Jo threw herself at every challenge, both personally and at work, calling her "our very own Challenge Anneka".

Jane added: "There was not much of the globe she hadn't covered.

"She had determination and strong will. She liked things done properly. She was always last to finish exams at school because she wanted to make sure she had done the best she could do."

Jane also said: "She had a ball. That's what she told (husband) Matt, and boy, did she."