Manslaughter of woman, 70, alleged

Aileen MacDonald was a much-loved sister, mother, grandmother and companion. Photo / Supplied

A Napier mother who was "young at heart" and "always a bright light" for her family, tragically died after an alleged assault by a woman well known to her.

Aileen MacDonald, 70, was born into a large family and was one of five sisters with two brothers who grew up on a farm near the northern Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa.

She died from several injuries at Hawke's Bay Hospital on December 31 last year after the alleged assault at a Napier home on December 28.

Aileen spent much of her childhood playing with her animals, including her grandmother's pet owl, before she left school and worked in the kitchen at Wairoa Hospital.

In 1960 she married her first husband John (Jan) Mohlmann, before the couple had three children together and moved to Napier in the late 60s. The pair later separated after 13 years together.

Aileen, a passionate gardener and great cook, met Stan MacDonald in 1973 and the couple married in a small ceremony in 2004 shortly before Stan's death in 2006.

Her eldest child, Johnny Mohlmann, said his mother was "a huge success" and recalled fond memories of her 70th birthday in August last year.

While speaking at her funeral on January 3, he said his mum enjoyed a "mischievous spirit", was young at heart and a "bit of a thrill seeker".

"She liked fast cars and she was always telling me when I was driving her to 'boot it son'."

The grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of two "loved" her jet boating, skydiving and also swam with the sharks at the National Aquarium in Napier.

She had a "wonderful intellectual humour" and a "loving and kind heart", her son said.

"I looked up mum's name ... it means light, and she was always a bright light."

Aileen's second eldest grandchild, Apollo, said "it was so hard to believe that nan wasn't going to pull through this ... because she was a fighter".

A passionate scuba diver, Aileen had also been involved in a serious car crash in Bay View and was airlifted to hospital.

She spent her remaining years with her companion Bill McKee, as the pair enjoyed gardening and long talks together.

Tragically, Aileen died from her injuries after an alleged attack by a woman who was "well-known" to her, Detective Sergeant Darren Pritchard said.

Yesterday, a 52-year-old Wairoa woman, who has interim name suppression, was charged with manslaughter and appeared at the Napier District Court as police continue their investigation into Aileen's death.

Mr Pritchard said an arrest had been made during the early stages of the investigation and the accused had appeared in the Hastings District Court on December 30 on a charge of assault after the incident. The charge was dropped yesterday following the manslaughter accusation.

The woman was remanded on bail until her next court appearance in Napier this month. Police did not oppose bail.

Aileen's son Johnny said he would remember his mum as a person with a soul that yearned to have a "deep inner desire for love and companionship".