Stabbing victim remembered as 'delightful woman'

Helen Silverwood, 55, died of her injuries on Sunday evening. Photo / Facebook

Helen Silverwood is remembered as a loving mother, a delightful colleague and a good sort as those who knew and loved her struggle to come to terms with her fatal stabbing.

Attacked in her north Wellington home on Sunday, Mrs Silverwood was still alive when paramedics arrived at the Churton Park property, but died despite their desperate attempts to save her.

A 28-year-old man has been charged with her murder, but his name and relationship to Mrs Silverwood was suppressed when he appeared in the Wellington District Court yesterday.

Judge Peter Rollo remanded him into the care of a psychiatric hospital for a report to be prepared before his next appearance later this month.

The Glendale Grove house where Helen Silverwood was attacked. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Family members were too upset to speak to the Herald as they came to terms with the sudden loss of the 55-year-old mother, wife, sister and friend.

When contacted by the Herald, relatives became upset, breaking down in tears.

Mrs Silverwood, who grew up in Wellington, was married to Lee Silverwood and the couple have two adult children -- a son and a daughter.

She was a part-time administration assistant at the Royal Federation of New Zealand Justices' Associations Incorporated -- the national body that represents Justices of the Peace across the country.

Her manager Alan Hart said she had been with the association since 2007.

"She came and joined us and has been with me ever since," he said. "She is one of the most organised, delightful women that I have ever come across.

"We will miss her dreadfully, she is one of the most lovely people you would ever meet, one of those people in life that you are pleased you met."

Mr Hart said he had spoken to Mrs Silverwood's sister yesterday.

"She was very, very upset. It was such a shock. I feel dreadful for her family, I really do, it will be so hard for them."

He said Mrs Silverwood was very close to her family and treasured an annual "girls' trip" to Melbourne.

"Once a year she and the girls would go away for a shopping trip to Melbourne, with her sister and some other female friends. They would always go and see a show and we would hear all the stories, it was good fun."

He said condolences had been streaming in from the 29 Justice of the Peace associations around the country.

"We are just getting so many beautiful messages saying what a marvellous person she was."

Tina and Lloyd Ditchfield had known Mrs Silverwood and her husband since the late 1980s through the Wellington Surfcasting and Angling Club.

Coincidentally, Mrs Ditchfield works as the office manager in Xtreme Forwarding New Zealand Ltd in a Miramar building owned by Mrs Silverwood and her sister.

"Our heart goes out to the family and everyone associated with the family. It's so tragic," Mrs Ditchfield said today.

She described Mrs Silverwood as a good sort and a sometimes friendly rival at fishing competitions.

"She was homely, family-oriented. She loved her sister. She was great to have around at a party. There is nothing bad to say about her," Mrs Ditchfield said.

"It was pretty tragic news. It was sort of, 'whoa, you're joking, aren't you?"

The surfcasting and angling club will discuss at its committee meeting tomorrow night if it can do anything appropriate to remember Mrs Silverwood.

Police were still at the Silverwoods' two-storey weatherboard house in Glendale Grove today, where the curtains remained drawn.

Bunches of flowers lay on the front lawn.

Other employees in the businesses in the Miramar building said they didn't know Mrs Silverwood well and would generally deal with her sister.

"We got told yesterday," an employee at the Bridgestone Tyre Centre said of the stabbing.

"It's very tragic but we didn't know her personally."

A police spokeswoman said there were no updates from police about the investigation.