Culcairn grandmother Hannie Jongeneel was one of 32,000 members of 'Riverina Plants and Gardening', a community she joined around the time her husband Bill was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

It was the friendships and connections she made via the social media platform that made her feel less alone when Bill ultimately lost his battle in 2020.

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"I suppose after we lost him, she was a bit lost, but then they [members of the group] became her social outing, they became something to look forward to," Hannie's daughter-in-law Tara Jongeneel said.

The proud grandmother would actively reach out to members of the group, organise or attend social outings throughout the region and share words of encouragement with her plant-loving peers.

Her love for the group was something she would talk about frequently.

"She talked about it all the time," Tara said

"It was always 'the gardening group are meeting up', so she was a very active member.

"She would message everybody on there, and I don't think there was a post that [wasn't] commented or liked by her."

The outpouring of love the Jongeneel family received from the group following the 73-year-old's sudden passing earlier this month came as a shock to her sons who were not active on social media.

"The original post had hundreds of comments on it, and I got a lot of messages," Tara said

"The boys ... were very shocked that she had touched the lives of all these people in such a positive way."

Tumbarumba resident Chris Brayne is just one of those who became good friends with Hannie via the Facebook group.

She describes the group itself as "extremely supportive" and that many of those who encountered Hannie built a "caring connection" with her.

"We are all positive and responsive to each other when someone's sick, in need, or in any respect - gardening, private life, anything, we all support each other," Chris said.

"We did that quite a lot with Hannie because she needed that friendship and comradeship."

Chris shared a photo to the group in Hannie's memory - a photo of waving up towards those from the group attending an overnight stay in Tumbarumba last month.

In the caption, Chris wrote: "She is waving goodbye."

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