A FAMILY has paid tribute to a ‘fantastic and generous’ couple who died tragically from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Grandparents Donald O'Sullivan, 73, and his wife Rosetta, 70, were found collapsed together in their home on April 20.

A post mortem revealed they had inhaled the lethal, odourless gas. A police investigation is on-going into what caused the leak at their home in Matlock Road, Leyton.

A family statement said: “Donald and Rose will be sorely missed by their children and grandchildren. They will leave a huge void in the lives of so many people, a truly wonderful couple who had so much more to give.

“The tragic and totally needless deaths should not be in vain and hopefully will raise awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

The couple married on March 31 1990, uniting two large families.

Mrs O’Sullivan, known as Rose, lived life to the full after retiring from nursing, travelling around Europe and the Caribbean.

She was a devout Christian and member of the Methodist Church in Shernhall Street, Walthamstow. She had been on a number of pilgrimages and had just returned from a Spring harvest festival.

Their son-in-law George Bispham, from Ilford, speaking on behalf of the family, said: “Rose had bundles of energy and found time for everyone. She was very young in spirit and was a real live wire.

“She had a great sense of humour and was fantastic. She even won a Grandmother of the year competition at Woolworths in Leyton.”

Mr O’Sullivan, a retired painter, worked hard throughout his life and into his retirement doing painting jobs for family and friend and is remembered for his love of life.

Mr Bispham said: “He loved music and dancing and was always the first to get up and dance at any family function, he also loved going to car boot sales seeking out bargains.

“He was smashing. He was a typical West Indian man who would come and knock on our door at 7am in the morning and get us out of bed so that he could paint the house. He would paint all the houses of friends and family and never take any money for it.”

Mr Bispham said the family are awaiting the results of a police investigation in which the boiler in the couple’s house is being examined.

He said until they have an idea of what caused the carbon monoxide leak, the family are concentrating on giving the much-loved couple a fitting send-off at their joint funeral on May 14.

Mr O’Sullivan leaves three children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Mrs O’Sullivan is survived by her three children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A date for an inquest is yet to be set.