Tributes have been paid to a devoted couple who died while on holiday in Norway. Andrew Laverty, 63, and his wife Tina, 58, from Northampton, were killed in a car crash in Oslo on Friday, June 12. The pair, who had been together for around 30 years, were visiting a church when the accident occurred.
Family Devastated
The couple's family described the news as a 'bad dream'. Tina had spoken to her parents just before the collision, expressing excitement and promising to call back after returning to their hotel. Her mother, Pat Auger, 81, said: 'We still can’t believe it. We keep thinking we will wake up and it will all have been a bad dream. They were devoted to each other and did everything together. I don’t think they could have lived without each other.'
A Shared Love for Travel
Tina worked at a travel agency and loved visiting new places. Together, the couple traveled to New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Canada, and America. 'As soon as they got back from one trip they were planning the next one,' Pat added. 'This was the second time they had been to Norway. Tina was so happy when she rang us the day before the accident and so excited. She said she would ring us again when they got back to the hotel but that was the last we heard.'
How They Met
Pat first met Andrew when they both worked at the King’s Head. She asked him to translate a letter for her husband, Mick, 81, a well-known pigeon breeder, and then introduced him to her daughter. 'That was the start and we just adored both of them. He was a wonderful son-in-law,' Pat said. 'I don’t know what we are going to do without them. Our lives are not going to be the same again.'
Memories of Tina
Tina grew up in a bungalow built by her parents in Stetchworth and attended primary school in the village. She loved travel and worked in a travel agency before managing travel needs at TWI engineering consultancy in Cambridge. Her father Mick said: 'Andrew was more like a son to me and Tina was a real dad’s girl. At the moment I just keep crying, I just can’t believe they have gone.'
