A woman who ran a dance school and helped set up a charity has passed away suddenly aged just 54 after suffering a massive stroke.
Paula Marshall owned Starstruck Dancing School for 13 years with her mother Joan Marshall at Hemel Hempstead’s Sportspace.
Shows were held at the town’s Pavilion before it closed and later at Longdean School and Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley.
The mum-of-one, who helped run Hemel Hempstead charity Eleisha’s Angels in memory of Cavendish schoolgirl Eleisha Voakes who died from a brain aneurism in 2003, was discovered dead at her home in Satin Wood Court, Hemel Hempstead, on Sunday, April 7.
Her daughter Charlene Marshall, 27, said: “What she thrived on was helping others. She was just the most selfless person in the world.”
Paula closed the dance school after the death of her mother, who collapsed at the end of a teaching session at the sports centre in 2007. She had also suffered a stroke. “After that my mum found it really hard,” said Charlene.
More recently Paula had been teaching at private dance schools and had become a member of a points based Hemel Hempstead community poker league.
Her funeral is on Thursday at North Watford Cemetery in North Western Avenue from 1pm. Mourners are asked to wear bright colours.