Jeanette Martin let out a gasp of amazement as she smiled at the old photograph of boyfriend Jerome Johnrose dancing at a nightclub.
"Look" she exclaimed, jabbing at the picture with a shaking finger. "That's me!"

Sure enough, sitting in the background of Clouds nightclub – now Tokyo Jo's – on Church Street, Preston, was a young Jeanette watching Jerome perform his snazzy dance routine.

Unbeknown to the youngsters in the black and white picture they were to meet many years later and fall in love. It was just a sign that even then, they were meant to be.

Jerome, 41, who was with Jeanette for 13 years, recalls: "My ex-wife must have been having a tidy up and unearthed this photo, so she gave it to my older son Clark to pass on to me.

"It was a picture of me taking part in a dancing competition which was published in the Lancashire Evening Post. It was a photo I had not seen for a good few years, so I had a chuckle at it and then passed it to Jeanette telling her 'That's me in my disco dancing days!'

"I had not even twigged that Jeanette was in the same photo, until she suddenly spotted herself and we could not get over the coincidence.

"It shows that we were fated to meet and be together."
Jeanette and Jerome finally met properly almost a decade after the photo was taken when Jeanette was working for Vernon Carus, a surgical dressings firm based in Penwortham and Jerome, a roof designer, was carrying out some work at the factory.

Jerome explains: "I noticed Jeanette in the staff canteen and nudged my friend and told him I thought she was really nice. Then one night, I bumped into her at Squires nightclub and things just developed from there."

It was Jeanette's zest for life which attracted Jerome and it is her sparkling personality and positive persona that friends and family all remember. Jerome says: "Jeanette was a really bubbly character and was the life and soul of the party and was loved by everyone. I was attracted to her beauty and her attitude to life. I just liked the way she was and her strong and vibrant personality."

It was from a very young age that Jeanette's vivacious nature and love of life first became apparent.

And even though her life was to be cut short at 37, she packed as much into her years as she could and relished every minute.
Born on June 26, 1966, Jeanette Mary Martin was a second child for John and Josie Martin, as their first daughter Julie had been born 18 months before.

Julie Hunter, 40, says she and Jeanette shared everything and were extremely close. "Even though we were 18 months apart, we were like twins and were the best of friends.

"We were incredibly close and saw each other every day. Jeanette was always smiling and happy and was never down. She was a livewire and a real party girl who loved going out drinking and socialising. She really enjoyed life and once you met her, you would never forget her."

Jeanette's mum Josie describes Jeanette as a cheeky child with a heart of gold. She says: "Jeanette was a headstrong kid and was always playing truant from school.

"Julie was the good girl and Jeanette was the baddie, but she was so jolly with it that you couldn't stay cross with her. She was a loveable rogue.

"Jeanette was so kindhearted and would do anything for anyone. She was a real daredevil and was game to try anything once.
"It's as though she packed as much as she could into the 37 years that she had."

Known to her friends as Netty, Jeanette was a pupil at St Mary's Junior School and then St Mary's High School in Leyland and was a popular child with lots of friends.

Jeanette was not afraid of hard work and could turn her hand to anything. She held down a variety of jobs including working in a clothes shop, behind the bar at a pub in Leyland and spending three seasons working for Butlins in Wales.
Julie recalls: "It wasn't easy for Jeanette to go away to work as our dad John had just suffered a brain haemorrhage and was in hospital.
"But my mum encouraged her to go as there was nothing she could do. Jeanette kept in touch every day and came home off-season.
"Nineteen years after his brain haemorrhage, my dad is still alive and well . He is in a wheelchair and has brain damage, but he often talks about Jeanette and kisses her photo to say hello and goodnight.
"He never imagined he would ever outlive his youngest daughter."
After returning from Butlins, Jeanette got a job at Vernon Carus. She then worked at Eurocraft, the Leyland boat building firm, until her death.
In June 1991, Julie married Chris Hunter and Jeanette was her chief bridesmaid. Julie remembers: "Jeanette looked stunning and she absolutely loved my wedding day.
"Her bridesmaid dress was actually a wedding dress which my aunt had bought, then gone off, so Jeanette decided to use it for my wedding. Her dress was ivory and mine was white.
"When Jeanette turned up at church, the priest thought she was the bride and told her she was too early and that the groom wasn't even here yet!
"It was a perfect day and Jeanette said she wanted her own wedding day to be just like it.
"Jeanette and Jerome were a great couple and first talked about getting married many years ago, but with one thing and another, they never got around to it.
"They had actually planned to get married last summer, but sadly Jeanette's death came before their dream could come true."
In July 1992, Julie gave birth to her son Jordan, now 12. Julie says: "Jeanette adored Jordan and was round our house all the time and would even come home during her lunch hour to see him.
"Then 18 months later, Jeanette and Jerome had a son of their own, Cameron, and they were so happy and proud.
"Cameron was everything Jeanette wanted in life and they had a very loving relationship. When Cameron came home from school, he would sit on Jeanette's knee and cuddle her. Jordan and Cameron are like brothers as they are so close in age and have always been together."
Jeanette and Jerome bought a 100-year-old house, on Cocker Lane, Leyland, around the corner from where Julie and Chris and her parents lived. The house needed doing up completely, so the couple put all their time, energy and money into that and decided to postpone getting married until it was finished.
Three years ago, Jeanette was thrilled when she became pregnant again and she Jerome and Cameron were looking forward to the birth of the new baby.
However, tragedy struck when Jeanette had a miscarriage late into her pregnancy and the family were devastated.
Little did they realise that a far bigger tragedy was yet to come.
A simple cough was the first sign of the illness that was to claim Jeanette's life. Julie explains: "Jeanette was always fit and healthy and was never off work ill.
"Her illness started off with a tickle in her throat, as if she had something stuck, and she couldn't get rid of her cough. She tried cough lozenges and lubricants, but nothing seemed to make a difference and then she went off her food, which was very unlike her as she always had a really good appetite."
Doctors thought Jeanette had a virus, but after six weeks, Josie took her to Chorley Hospital after she found Jeanette lying on the sofa coughing and struggling to breathe. Jeanette was admitted to hospital with a suspected blood clot on her lung, but after tests, doctors thought she had Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Further investigations revealed Jeanette had lung cancer. Julie says: "Doctors told Julie she had lung cancer which had spread to the oesophagus and that it was at an advanced stage and was inoperable because of where it was.
"It was a huge shock for all of us when we heard Jeanette had cancer. At the back of our minds, we knew there was a strong possibility that Jeanette could die, but I think none of us believed it would happen. Jeanette was a fighter, we all hoped she would get through it."
Jerome recalls: "I just felt so numb and it didn't feel real as Jeanette was so young and full of life. It all happened so quickly, it was hard to believe."
Jeanette underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but the gruelling treatment led to pneumonia which ultimately caused her death.
Julie says: "Jeanette was really strong and brave and never once felt sorry for herself or asked 'Why me?' When Jeanette was dying, around 60 family and friends came to see her and took over the day room and she recognised and knew every one of them by name. Her lungs were packing up and she was struggling to breathe and was using a mask. But she was still her bright and bubbly self. When the priest was reading the Last Rites and said 'Amen', Jeanette took off her mask and said 'Amen' in such a comical way that everyone burst out laughing."
Jeanette died in the Royal Preston Hospital on December 12, 2003 – exactly one month after the shock diagnosis of cancer.
Julie recalls: "On her death bed, Jeanette said that her only regret in life was not marrying Jerome. She said that she now knew that God had taken her baby away with the miscarriage as she was not going to be around. She also told me to get plenty of pancake mix for Cameron as he absolutely loves pancakes and would eat them every day if he could!"
Jeanette had already bought her wedding dress and rings in preparation for her marriage to Jerome the following summer.
Julie now wears her sister's rings to be close to her and Jerome got to see Jeanette as a radiant bride as she was dressed in her wedding gown before she was cremated.
Jerome remembers: "Jeanette looked so lovely and beautiful. Jeanette and I had a great time together, but I do regret that we never got married.
"I think about Jeanette at night when Cameron has gone to bed and I think about her first thing in the morning. I try to keep myself busy and occupied to stop myself brooding. Jeanette meant the world to me and I miss her a hell of a lot. Her death has left a huge void. You try to get on with things, but it will never be the same without her.You do not realise what you have got until it's gone."

- originally published 21/02/05