Mourners celebrated the life of Mary Lucas – the Newbridge mum to missing man Kyle Vaughan.

Family members and friends gathered to remember the 55-year-old, who spent the last four years of her life campaigning for information following the disappearance of her son.

Mr Vaughan went missing, aged 24, on December 30, 2012, and never returned.

To this day Mr Vaughan has never been found. And in October last year, the family were presented with a presumption of death certificate by a High Court judge.

In the order of service, Ms Lucas’ family, and partner, Alan Vaughan, said: “Fly now Mary, hope you are with Kyle and you both rest in peace.”

Mary Lucas died on January 1, 2018 from an aggressive form of liver cancer and diabetes – never finding out what happened to her only son.

Speaking at the service, which took place at St Mary’s R.C. Church in Stow Hill, yesterday, Father Michael Doyle said the family are happy Ms Lucas is now “at peace with her son”.

There were tears in the packed church as Father Doyle said that Ms Lucas would be missed by many.

Ms Lucas was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the beginning of 2016 and was given just six months to live.

But, according to family, she was a “strong and stubborn” woman who was determined to carry on for longer to see if she could find out what happened to her son.

She had moved down from Newbridge to Newport to live with her sister Katherine Beddis for some time before her death, and family members said that Ms Lucas had made many friends in the area.

The service shared one of Ms Lucas’ favourite poems called Footprints in the Sand, and ended with the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful.

The church service was followed by the interment at St Woolos Cemetery before light refreshments at the Pen and Wig, opposite the church.

Donations in memory of Ms Lucas were also taken for St David’s Hospice.