Devoting herself to helping others was a lifelong passion for Elizabeth Edwards.

Over the years it saw her put a young, displaced man through education, set up a hotel for disabled people in Jersey and organise trips for the physically challenged.

And despite her age, Mrs Edwards, who was 96 when she died, continued her work until the very end, always hoping to be able to establish a second hotel where the disabled could stay in London.

Her niece Laura Brandon described her as a people person who always helped others.

She said: “She turned around the pleasure she received into gifts to others.

“[For example] when she stopped driving, she didn’t sell her car but kept it maintained and insured for others’ use [and] she asked for nothing in return.”

The Canadian-born music lover, who spent her final days living in Dee Road, grew up in Toronto but her younger years were marred by personal tragedy when her parents, grandparents, and uncles died while she was still a teenager.

After attending the University of Toronto, Mrs Edwards and her sister Mary moved to London where she worked for relief services during the war and later the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) in Manchester where she met her husband Michael.

The outdoor-loving sports enthusiast used to enjoy canoeing and camping trips and in her youth even crossed the Rockies on horseback as she took part in a Guides outing.

In 1955, Mrs Edwards and her husband moved to Jersey.

When he died seven years later she decided to turn their home, a cottage with a small area of land, into a place of relaxation for others by converting it into a holiday home for the disabled called Maison des Landes Hotel.

With the backing of the Lions Club of Jersey, the charitable trust still welcomes thousands of visitors and carers through its doors to enjoy the hotel’s specialised facilities.

Always on hand to help, the caring Canadian relished her role and when she retired continued helping in other ways such as by organising trips to Ireland and France for the physically challenged and by financially supporting a less fortunate man in Canada.

Mrs Edwards died on July 9.