Westmoreland law librarian remembered as friendly helping hand to all
Aug. 16—Shelves of books and manuals lined the walls and aisles in the law library at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, but it was the puzzles and the librarian who set them out that became the main attraction.
Lawyers, county employees and citizens routinely stopped their busy days in Greensburg to add a piece or two the sprawling landscapes, garden scenes and other works of art depicted in the dozens of puzzles collected and displayed by Betty Ward, who served as the chief librarian since 1989.
"She loved puzzles and, if I had to guess, she felt it was a way for people to decompress," said Ward's daughter, Meghan VanCleve.
Ward, 71, of Greensburg, died Aug. 11, 2023, at Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio, after a yearlong battle with cancer.
"She was the sweetest, most generous person," said attorney Jeff Leonard, a frequent visitor to the law library. "I saw her help so many pro se people who were in need of assistance. She was patient and friendly."
Lawyer Tim Andrews said Ward was more than just a librarian.
"In my 35 years working as an attorney, it was Betty Ward who was the most helpful, one of the nicest people I ever met. She was willing to help everyone from lawyers to citizens who just came in. She was the best," Andrews said.
Ward was born on May 23, 1952, in Taylor, Pa. She was raised in Avoca, Pa., and attended Kutztown University and graduated with a degree in library science. She earned her master's degree in the field at the University of Pittsburgh.
VanCleve said her mother loved reading historical fiction and enjoyed watching British period dramas, visiting National Parks, celebrating her Irish heritage and traveling. Books and libraries were her passion, she said.
Ward initially served as a librarian at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood before taking over the duties to run the courthouse law library in 1989.
"She thought libraries were the greatest invention. Any time we would go on vacation, she always made sure we visited the local libraries," VanCleve said. "When I was very young, my mother took me to work at the community college and I would head right over the children's section. One of the first times I went with her to the law library, I took a book off the shelf and was upset because I thought she was working at a place where none of the books had pictures."
VanCleve said her mother was diagnosed with cancer last summer and relocated to Ohio to be near family.
"We fully expected she would come back," said Pam Snyder, who served as Ward's assistant librarian since 2016. "Betty had that rare capacity to keep her professionalism while helping everyone. Helping people was her passion, and she loved engaging with people she knew."
Ward was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth (Walsh) and Edward Robbins, and her husband, John Patrick Ward.
She is survived by her daughter, Meghan (Ward) VanCleve and her husband, Rob, of Columbus; her sister, Phyllis Jones (Bob) of Pittston; and brother, Edward (Debbie) of Fredericksburg, Va.
A private funeral service for family will be held on Thursday.
Donations in Ward's memory may be made to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
