“A devoted mother and a genuine friend.”

This is how close friends and family remembered mother of two Kerry Petty yesterday as they struggled to come to terms with her death.

Ms Petty was on her way to work at Rock Island Café early on Thursday morning when she was involved in a collision with a car on Middle Road near Five Star Island.

The woman driver of the car was arrested by police on suspicion of impaired driving and has since been released on bail.

Ms Petty, 38, who had two daughters Amelia, 10, and Isla, seven months, was described as the “perfect mother” by those who knew her best.

Her husband, Jared Hollis, said: “There are no words great enough to explain how loving and compassionate a mother and wife Kerry was.

“The only word close enough that could be used would be ‘perfect’.”

Ms Petty was born in Bermuda and grew up in the West End of the island with her three brothers Edward, Christopher and Bryce.

She attended Bermuda High School for Girls and developed a passion for cooking, which was mostly self-taught.

Christopher said: “She was the one that kept the family together.”

Edward added: “When we were growing up she was my older sister but also my best friend.

“I will miss reminiscing about our younger years at family functions. I love her and miss her dearly.”

Ms Petty’s mother, Valerie Petty, described her daughter as “the light of our lives”.

She said: “She was a great mom and a wonderful daughter.”

Michael Hollis, Ms Petty’s father-in-law, added: “It is so sad, Jared and Kerry were the perfect couple.

“I was so happy for them; we will have Kerry on our minds for ever and she will live on through Jared, Amelia and Isla.”

Melissa Pope, a close friend of Ms Petty for nearly 20 years, described her as a devoted mother and “the most genuine person I knew”.

She said: “She would give you the shirt off her back — she cared about everyone and was completely dedicated to her family.

“She would do anything for them — her children were her world.

“Personally, I met her when I was just 14 and we both worked at the Levi’s store in town.

“She was the one you would go to for help and the one that would show you the ropes.

“That continued right up until recently when I became a mother and she was she first person I went to for help and advice.”

Ms Pope added: “Making sure everything was perfect for her girls, that was her goal. She had reached a point in her life where she was so happy.”

Ms Petty worked as a baker at the Rock Island Cafe in Hamilton for nearly a decade.

Management closed the premises this week after the fatal crash saying they had lost part of “Rock Island family”.

Friends and family have set up a fundraising page online to support Ms Petty’s children in the years to come.

Police are investigating the death and appealed for a man who apparently witnessed the incident and stopped at the scene to come forward.

Anyone with information should contact Constable McKeon Stevens at the Roads Policing Unit on 247-1788.w