Nurses and patients across West Yorkshire went into mourning following the tragic death of Hilary Shoesmith.

The 58-year-old nurse died in Calderdale Royal Hospital after she suffered a brain aneurysm during a Sunday meal out in January this year.

She worked at GP practices in Shelf and King Cross, Halifax, and was described in the Nursing Times as “kind, gentle and giving” and hailed as a superb mentor to students, for which she was nominated for Mentor of the Year in 2015. One colleague said: “She defines what it is to be a caring and knowledgeable nurse.”

Now, as part of Organ Donation Week, her partner of 15 years, Malcolm Rogers, is encouraging more people to consider joining the organ donor register to save and improve lives.

Hilary, was out at lunch with Malcom when she suffered a brain haemorrhage in a restaurant in January this year.

Malcolm  carried out CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) until the paramedics arrived. Later, in the Intensive Care Unit at Calderdale Royal Hospital, when it was confirmed Hilary’s brain was dead he asked doctors about organ donation.

Malcolm, from Mytholmroyd, said: “Hilary wanted to care for others all her life so I knew this was in her ethos, and she would have been upset if I hadn’t done it. Indeed, she had herself registered on the NHS Organ Donation Register.

“Her father had died in similar circumstances and Hilary had taken some comfort when she was grieving from knowing that his organs had been donated. She believed passionately in donation.”

Hilary was much-loved and respected after a lifetime in nursing. She trained and worked at Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust, then moved to being a practice nurse in GP practices in King Cross and Shelf. Many of her patients attended her funeral earlier this year.

Malcolm, 58, said: “Hilary had wanted to be a nurse from when she was around 10 years old and after hospital work went into GP practices because she wanted to establish long-term relationships with her patients. That is how caring she was.

“I just went into autopilot when it happened. You are in shock yet her niece and I took the decision to allow donation and took comfort in the fact other people’s lives could be saved. That was very much what Hilary would have wanted.

Malcolm paid tribute to the doctors and nurses at CRH who supported him and Hilary’s family both at the time and since donation. He said: “They were incredibly understanding and caring. They answered all our questions and gave us as much time as we needed to decide about donation.”

Hilary’s name is now on the honeycomb memorial at CRH to people who have made the gift of life through donation. The design reflects how bees work and live their lives for each other. Also in Hilary’s memory, Malcolm has had a bench placed in a hotel garden with amazing views overlooking Loch Lomond – their favourite place.

For Organ Donation Week  this week Malcolm is urging people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donation Register and make sure their wishes are known to family and friends, so if they are ever in the same position as Malcolm they can make the decision to allow donation in confidence it is what their loved one wanted.

Malcolm, added: “As a family member it is a very difficult decision to make but you have to respect the wishes of the individual. So, I would urge families to have those conversations now.

“It is a horrible time to go through but if any good can come out then this has to be it. In our case what could be a more fitting legacy from someone who was so dedicated to improving the health of others.

“There are people out there who have been given the gift of life by Hilary and I know she would have been very proud of that – as I am.”