KEY POINTS:
A New Zealand woman killed in a house fire in Egypt was just about to come home to celebrate Christmas with her family.
Instead, family, friends and relatives will be mourning her death at an Auckland church on Saturday.
Anna Bougen was found dead with her golden retriever, George, at her side by firefighters near the front door of her central Cairo home last Thursday.
It is understood she died of asphyxiation as fire gutted her home.
The former wife of Dress-Smart founder and New Zealand philanthropist John Bougen was 47.
Fluent in Arabic, Ms Bougen was a co-director of the Australasia-Egyptian Trading company, an importing and exporting business in the Egyptian capital where she had lived for just over two years.
Her daughter, Nic Bougen, a PHD student at the Liggins Institute in Auckland, said her mother fell in love with Cairo after they first visited it together in 2002.
The 23-year-old said her mother was "fearless" and "enthusiastic".
"She was always wanting to do things the average person wouldn't even think of doing - like packing up and moving to Egypt."
Ms Bougen's father, Graeme Edwards, who is the director and major shareholder of Alloy Yachts International, told the Herald "a very, very bright life has been snuffed out".
"It certainly is a huge shock," said Mr Edwards.
Mr Edwards remembered his daughter as "a very bright and vivacious person with a very good brain". He said Ms Bougen accompanied her ex-husband on parts of his around-the-world trip in which he set out to visit every country on the globe in 150 days.
The Herald understands John Bougen was in Cairo to help with arrangements to have Ms Bougen's body returned home.
"She actually travelled extensively herself with friends. She went through the Sudan and Abyssinia on one of her recent trips," said Mr Edwards. "She was very strongly into sport and enjoyed her business activities and had a great social life where she was involved with the expatriate community and even spent some time with Helen Clark when she went over there."
Ms Bougen's body is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow and her funeral will be held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland at 10am on Saturday.
