Family pay tribute to mum-of-10 after unexpected death at 58

The family of a mother-of-ten who died unexpectedly at the age of 58 have paid tribute.

The tragic death happened on Monday, October 21, at around 8am when one of Dawn Millward's youngest children came up to say goodbye before school and found her unresponsive.

Dolly, 12, then ran downstairs to tell Pete, her father, that Mrs Millward wasn't waking up. Pete performed CPR and Dolly went to collect a defibrillator however they were unable to resuscitate her.

Mrs Millward, 58, was adopted by a Derby couple after being born in Leeds and was raised first in Derby before moving to Ashbourne, where she grew up and later raised her family as a stay-at-home mum.

Jess Millward, 36, Mrs Millward's eldest daughter, paid tribute to her late mum. She said: "She was just the nicest person you could have ever met, she had time for everyone. She would have given anyone her last penny. She was a brilliant mum and the best person you could have ever asked for.

"Everyone has messaged to say that she used to light the room up when she walked in. She had a little bit of fire in her when it was needed, but she was always in people's corners and she always had everyone's back.

"She gave up such a lot to raise her children. She also did a lot of work with the Scottish adult adoptee movement to make things better for new generations of adoptees."

Jess told Derbyshire Live that her mum was dedicated to creating a family that "she needed when she was growing up", and focused on creating the "tight-knit" family they have now. As well as being a passionate advocate for adult adoptees, Mrs Millward was a passionate artist, as she enjoyed photography, calligraphy, art and upcycling.

Pete Millward, her husband and father of Dawn's children said: "It's a terrible shock. We used to call her Marmite because people used to either love her or hate her. She didn't take fools lightly but she was so loving. She was adopted and it was a massive part of her life.

"She was so passionate about the movement she was a part of, trying to help the mothers before they gave their babies up for adoption."

Mrs Millward used to write a column in the Ashbourne News Telegraph called Mum's The Word, giving people an insight into her life with every article.

Jess has set up a fundraiser in order to help pay for her mother's funeral and headstone. She asks anyone who wishes to attend Dawn's funeral service to contact her through the fundraiser. A date has not yet been set for the service.