A FORMER south Essex school teacher was left widowed with four young children after the brutal murder of her “kind and gentle” husband.

Karen Remlinger was known as Karen West when she taught at Glebe Junior School, in Creswick Avenue, Rayleigh, and Chalkwell Junior School in London Road, Leigh.

The 46-year-old’s husband, Joe Remlinger, was gunned down a few weeks ago while trying to collect rent in Columbus, Ohio, where the couple lived.

Friends have now started an online collection for the former Thorpe Hall School pupil to help her cope with Joshua, 11, Abigail, nine, Daniel, three, and Samuel, five.

Karen’s father, Brian West, 73, of Bellhouse Lane, Leigh, said Mr Remlinger’s murder had left his daughter “devastated”.

He said: “I can’t believe my daughter’s standing up to it the way she is with the responsibilities she’s got going forwards.

“It’s horrendous. I get in tears just talking to her, she’s so brave. She’s coping but it’s very tough with four kids around her.”

The pair met after the former member of Southend Athletics Club went travelling in the US in 2000.

The couple fell in love and married two years later.

Mr Remlinger, 50, worked as an estate agent and had gone to visit Maurice Watkins, 33, a tenant who owed £500 in rent on June 2.

But Mr Remlinger was shot dead and his body moved to a garage and set alight.

Watkins was later charged with murdering Mr Remlinger and Pierre Williams, 26, was charged with arson.

Mr West said: “The whole thing has got to go to court and the guy could get the death sentence if found guilty.

“It’s such a terrible thing.

“It’s not something you expect to happen working as an estate agent.”

Mr West said his son-in-law and daughter were both committed Christians and he always thought the best of people.

He said: “He was just a lovely guy. He was kind and gentle, I never heard him say a bad thing about friend or foe.

“He just trusted everybody and he would read his Bible twice a day.”

“The two little ones say: ‘The bad man has taken daddy away’. But the two oldest ones know he was shot.

“They talk about him the whole time.”

Mr West said Karen, her husband and children were due to visit for a month in August before the tragic events.

Friends have now launched a campaign on crowdfunding website gofundme.com with a target of $50k.

It has already raised $7,866, with a $50 donation from Karen’s former school at Thorpe Hall.

Mr West said his daughter was known as the first girl to beat the boys in the annual race from Hadleigh Castle to the school.

Andrew Hampton, Headteacher at Thorpe Hall School, said: “They wrote to us and wanted to connect to the place where their children were educated.

“We were very happy to help and our thoughts and prayers are with their family.”

To donate money and help the family visit gofundme.com/28uknzwk