Granny Linda Briggs helped people in life and is still helping them after her death.

The 65-year-old, who died last February, donated her body to medical science – keeping to a decision she made almost two decades ago.

Her daughter, Catherine Jefferson, said she was incredibly proud of her mum and has encouraged others to think about doing the same.

Yesterday, Mrs Briggs’s family said a final farewell to her at a cremation service at Nab Wood, Shipley, for close relatives and friends.

Last year the family had held a memorial service for the former milk-lady and hairdresser who was known by many in the Bingley area, especially in Gilstead where she lived from 1963.

Mrs Jefferson said: “Mum was always a big believer in organ donation so I suppose this was part of it. I remembered her talking about it years ago so when I was looking through all her papers I was expecting to find a letter about it.

“I had mixed emotions at first because we never really discussed it. When you’re young you don’t want to talk about your mum dying and I can understand why some people would feel a bit squeamish about it all but I’m so proud of her doing what she did.”

Mrs Briggs had signed consent for Leeds University to use her body but because she had been a cancer patient, officials there put her family in touch with Newcastle University’s medical school.

“Without people like her, how can our future doctors and surgeons learn?

“Mum was a very caring person, she liked helping people, doing jobs for them, cleaning, gardening, still doing the odd haircut into her retirement and even after death she has still been helping people.

“She will help save lives.”

Mrs Briggs suffered a massive stroke in April, 2008, which left her unable to speak. Doctors also discovered she had ovarian cancer.

As well as leaving a daughter, she leaves a granddaughter, Alicia, and other close family.

She was widowed in 2002 when her husband, Raymond, lost his fight with cancer and died at Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope where she also spent her last days.