The heartbroken grandmother of Bristol student Joe Dymond-Williams, who was killed in a city centre attack last summer, has died.

Sheila Mary Dymond, 70, had suffered from emphysema for five years.

Her family say that, before 17-year-old Joe died seven months ago, she was doing well on medication.

But they believe that, after his death, she lost the will to live and deteriorated rapidly.

Her eldest daughter Michelle Oliver, known to her family as Mitchy, said Sheila was a hard- working woman who was full of life and always supported others.

She described her as "the rock" of the family and said: "If it hadn't been for what happened to Joe, we think she could have had another one or two years.

"Even right until the end, she was worried about us and how it would make us feel.

"Moments before she passed away, she was clinging on to life and it wasn't until her baby Gabe (Joe's mother) whispered to her to go to Joe and that she would be okay without her, that she finally took her last breath."

Sheila, who had strong Catholic beliefs, died at her Stockwood home last Sunday, surrounded by her children and grandchildren with her favourite opera music – Ave Maria and Nessun Dorma – playing in the background.

She devoted her life to caring for others in work as a nurse and at home as a mother.

Joe Dymond-Williams was an A-Level student at St Brendan's sixth form college and keen footballer for Yate Town FC and Bishop Sutton.

He died in hospital after being attacked in King Street, Bristol, last summer.

He suffered head injuries after intervening in a row between a couple. Two youths have been charged with his murder.

His parents Gabrielle Dymond, 41, and John Williams, 44, had to make the agonising decision to turn off his life support machine on July 8 last year, two weeks after the attack, when doctors informed them he was brain-dead.

Ms Oliver said: "After Joe died she was devastated and got ill more often.

"It wasn't so much her breathing that was the trouble, but her anxiety and stress and she became clinically depressed.

"The Dymond families have endured many happy times and tragedies but the loss of her three grandchildren was more than Sheila could bear.

"This cast a dark shadow over her life. The most recent loss, of Joe, was too trying; she lost her will to live.

"She was the most devoted, committed mother, loved by all her children, she was proud of all their achievements, furthermore she was a proud grandmother. As a grandmother she was faultless, giving them endless love and attention, known for baking cakes with each one of them, and they nick named her 'Super Gran'.

"She loved us dearly and was very strict on manners, integrity, social graces and all the usual moral values.

"Not afraid of hard work, she took up two jobs when we were young to feed and keep the family.

"She studied in parallel with her jobs to eventually qualify as an SEN (State Enrolled Nurse) which stood her in good stead throughout her career in health care.

"Mum is a very sad loss to the entire family and indeed her friends and work colleagues."

The family has a history tinged with loss and tragedy. Ms Oliver's younger son Laurence is only 10-years-old and has already experienced the deaths of three close relatives.

Laurence's father Ken died of cancer around eight years ago.

Sheila, helped her daughter to nurse him through his illness at home and was deeply saddened by his loss.

Ms Oliver said: "She worshipped Ken and was really upset when he died. Laurence said to me the other day that he thought it was nice to die because that's where all the people he loves are. It's terrible to hear a 10-year-old say that, but he has already lost a father, a cousin and now a gran."

Joe's death was also not the first time that Sheila lost a grandchild.

Joe's mother Gabrielle had a son, named Ben, 19 years ago, who died aged five days from an undiagnosed heart defect.

Six months before Ben's birth, Sheila's son Andrew and his wife Valerie had a child named Jack.

Jack died of cot death at the age of seven months.

Ms Oliver said: "I think, after Joe went, it all just became too much for mum and she gave up.

"The year Joe was born my brothers Adrian, Andrew and Nicky all had sons with their partners too.

"There were four grandsons who were all due to celebrate their 18th this year.

"Mum and everyone had always talked about holding a big joint party. That won't happen now. Not after what happened to Joe, and now mum."