A pensioner killed when a car smashed into a church wall had been a member of the church choir for 20 years.

The family of Johanna Street today paid tribute to the great-grandmother and keen artist, who died when the Ford Focus in which she was a passenger crashed into the wall at St Catherine's Church, Littlehampton, on Saturday.

Mrs Street, 82, of Armada Way, Littlehampton, had attended evening service and was on her way home with friend Jane Hogan, 93, known as Jenny, also of Armada Way, who was also killed.

The elderly woman driver of the car is in a serious but stable condition at Worthing Hospital.

Mrs Street had regularly attended the Roman Catholic church since moving to Littlehampton with her husband Edward, 84, 20 years ago.

Only last weekend Mrs Street's family held a big party to celebrate both her birthday and her diamond wedding anniversary.

Her son, also called Edward, said: "Around 70 people came from all over the country. It was wonderful. She was so happy. That was the last time I saw her. This has been such a shock. My father hasn't let go yet."

Mr and Mrs Street first met in a cinema queue in London's East End and became engaged the night before the Second World War was declared.

The couple ran the family ironmonger's business in London until the late Sixties when it was bulldozed to make way for a Blackwall Tunnel road scheme.

They had two children, Edward, 58, who lives in Essex, and Pamela, 52, who lives in Rustington.

Pamela said: "She was a good artist who painted a lot of watercolours. She will be sorely missed, not only by us, but by lots of people in the community."

The couple also had seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Police at first thought the car was an automatic and the driver's foot had slipped, but it turned out to be manual.

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