Rose was a devoted loving wife, mother and grandmother
MP’s tribute after inquest suicide verdict
GRIEVING Tory MP Owen Paterson has paid tribute to his wife Rose after a coroner ruled she took her own life.
Former Cabinet minister Mr Paterson said his family were struggling to come to terms with the loss of the “devoted, loving wife, mother and grandmother”.
And he praised his wife’s contributions to horse racing, charity and the arts – circles where she was greatly admired.
An inquest was told Mrs Paterson, the chairwoman of Aintree racecourse, was found dead by a police officer during a search of woods near her home early on June 24. She was 63.
The hearing was told she had made internet searches related to suicide in preceding weeks.
Mrs Paterson, the daughter of the fourth Viscount Ridley, became a director at Aintree in 2005 and its chairwoman in 2014.
She also served as a member of The Jockey Club’s main board of stewards and as a Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire.
In a statement read to the inquest, North Shropshire MP Mr Paterson, who attended the hearing by video- link, said his wife had been due to remotely chair an Aintree board meeting on the day she was found dead.
The hearing was told Mr Paterson rang 999 after his wife did not answer four phone calls. The family feared she had fallen ill and could not summon help.
She left no note at home near Ellesmere, Shropshire. Senior Coroner John Ellery recorded a conclusion of suicide, saying her intentions had been established.
In a statement later, former Northern Ireland secretary Mr Paterson, 64, said: “Rose will be remembered as a devoted, loving wife, mother and grandmother as well as a successful professional in her varied careers in the arts, charity and racing.”
Mr Paterson said he now planned to become more involved in suicide prevention, hoping to prevent other families enduring the same anguish.
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