By any measure, Eliza Northrop Beale was an extraordinary woman, and no one appreciated her more than her husband, William Beale. “She was dynamic and energetic, and everyone who met her walked away remembering her laugh and smile,” he said.
Born into the Northrop publishing family, Liza enthusiastically entered the family business, working for Observer Publishing as General Manager of the McMurray weekly, The Almanac, editor of Southpointe Today and Suburban Living magazines and former editor of the McDonald Record Enterprise.
She was incredibly good at what she did. Suburban Living magazine won the 2008 Keystone Press Award and took top honors for editorial writing in competition against other weekly newspapers across Pennsylvania. Her editorial writing was recognized by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and she was also a finalist for the prestigious Golden Quill award. When The Almanac was named Newspaper of the Year, however, she was already too ill to accept the award.
While writing and editing were her life’s work, her heart was in her community service. According to William, “The Northrop family is very involved in philanthropy, and Liza didn’t veer far from that path.”
She was active at the United Way Washington County, a member of the Washington Hospital Foundation board, and served on the board of directors of Community Action Southwest. If that wasn’t enough, she also volunteered for Leadership Washington County and the South Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Since faith was also an important tenet of her life, she volunteered as a deacon at Canonsburg United Methodist Church and was active in the childrenʹs ministry.
“She was a good organizer, leading people to do their best. She was a pure person who wanted to do good in the community and in life. It’s hard to realize she’s gone.”
William Beale wants what most people who set up a fund in the name of a loved one are hoping for: “She won’t be forgotten.” The Liza N. Beale Legacy Fund will continue to support the many causes she championed.
Thousands of people whose lives she touched mourned her passing in December of 2009. “For her family, it was a huge loss, for her friends it was a devastating loss, but Washington County suffered the greatest loss.”
“Our intention is to honor her current commitments,” William said. “We created this fund to perpetuate her work. We will trust our judgment, always asking the question, ‘What would Liza want us to do?’”
For her husband, the fund provides comfort. “It’s a release and an outlet for me because it gives me an opportunity to take comfort in the fund.” In his eyes, her biggest contribution to life was neither professional nor philanthropic; it was being a loving wife and caring stepmother to his two children. “She taught them right from wrong. As a parent, it’s easy to cave in. She was good at helping me be a good parent.”
William Beale wants what most people who set up a fund in the name of a loved one are hoping for: “She won’t be forgotten.” The Liza N. Beale Legacy Fund will continue to support the many causes she championed.