SHE was the front and centre of every party and always the first on the dancefloor.

Those were the words of her beloved husband as he confirmed the funeral arrangements for fun-loving and popular pub landlady Teresa Grimes. 

Brian Grimes has paid tribute to his wife of 21 years ahead of her funeral at Wessex Vale Crematorium on Tuesday, January 17 at 12.15pm.

READ MORE: Children's tribute to Teresa Grimes

Brian and T, as she was affectionately known, have been at the helm of the West End Brewery for the past 12 years and were due to retire to Turkey next year.

The much-loved 53-year-old mum and grandma was a dog lover who adored holidays, socialising and watching athletics.

"Any birthday, christening, Christmas, new year, weekend away, anything that meant she could put on fancy dress and do karaoke, T was there.

Daily Echo:

"She was the front and centre of every party and always the first one on the dancefloor. She put enough for two lives into her 53 years. She loved going out and enjoying life. She always said you could be hit by a bus tomorrow. 

"T was all things family, all things friends and all things loyalty. She was the heart of everything and was always so thoughtful. She touched so many people."

A keen netball player and mischievous child, Teresa grew up in Swindon and attended the same school as her future husband but didn't know him at the time. 

Daily Echo:

They became a couple in 1999 and married on the beach in Mexico in 2001, running The Victoria Arms at Binfield, near Reading and The Plough in Ealing, West London after training to become publicans.

A move to Spain saw them conceive a longed-for child Oliver, now aged 18, and set up a business delivering DVDs to ex-pats.

The family moved back to the UK after six years and have lived above the pub ever since. 

Daily Echo:

T was step mum to Jessica and Georgia and grandmother to Sophie, Phoebe and Riley.

She also leaves her mum Anna Prim, older brother Adrian Prim and best friend Dawn Warman, who she considered family.

Teresa was killed after being hit by a BMW in West End High Street in December. 

A 28-year-old man from Southampton is being investigated by police in connection with the crash. 

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook