Police have named the young woman who died in a road accident.
RSPCA manager Laura Barker was "a ray of sunshine" in the lives of parents Jackie and Nigel, of Wethersfield.
The lively 27-year-old lived at the village's Danaher RSPCA centre, where she had her dream job of animal care manager.
She died after a road accident between her Ford Maverick car and a lorry on Hudson's Hill, near her work, on Wednesday.
Mrs Barker, a training officer at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust, said: "To get the job as the manager was her dream.
"She didn't go anywhere without an animal in tow, really. Dogs and cats, anything with a dodgy history. They were all waifs and strays."
General manager at Danaher, Bob Ferdinando, closed the centre as a mark of respect to Laura.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article