Election nights at the Westmoreland County Courthouse used to be the place to be for local politicos to gather.

Long after polls closed at 8 p.m., and after working a full day at the courthouse, it was common to see Myrna McCloskey seated at a small table in the commissioners’ meeting room. Hour after hour she spoke into a microphone to announce what precinct had just arrived to be counted and the number of votes each candidate received.

“She loved the election night stuff,” said her son, Greg McCloskey.

McCloskey, 88, of Hempfield died Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, after a short illness. She was born Dec. 14, 1933, the daughter of the late Irene (Gregory) Ickes and Luther Ickes and graduated from Jeannette High School in 1951.

While that election night tradition fell off as technology made in-person viewing of the results unnecessary, McCloskey’s role at the courthouse never waned over the course of her 40-year career. She worked a variety of jobs, ranging from answering phones to organizing public ceremonies and leading tours of the century-old building.

“Myrna is a legend at the courthouse,” Westmoreland County President Judge Rita Hathaway said. “I’ve known her since I started in the district attorney’s office in 1988. Myrna was like family to all of us. She was always upbeat and positive, and, no matter what, Myrna could handle it with the utmost grace.”

Small in stature and large in presence, McCloskey’s professionalism and friendliness stood out during her long career, friends and colleagues said.

“Myrna was the county. Anyone who stopped by or worked in the courthouse got to know Myrna,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said. “And she was best dressed individual at the courthouse.”

McCloskey’s first job was as a secretary at Elliott Co. in Jeannette before taking time off to raise her five children. She resumed her career in the 1970s to work at a local real estate office and moved to the county in 1981 as one of two members of a media relations department.

After her husband David’s death in 2001, McCloskey briefly retired but returned to the courthouse several months later as temporary fill-in at the county commissioners’ offices and the human resources department.

“She pretty much worked full time for the next 20 years,” said Carol Wentzel, a family friend and former courthouse employee.

In addition to her formal duties, McCloskey served as an unofficial courthouse ambassador who led tours of the building and was the go-to person for its history.

McCloskey was furloughed along with hundreds of county workers in April 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. She formally retired a year later without returning to her job at the courthouse.

“She was always asking me what was going on at the courthouse and said she missed it,” said her son, Greg McCloskey, who works as the county’s public works and election bureau director. “This was her family, and, when Dad died, she wanted to go back to her family at the courthouse. She lived it and loved it,” he said.

McCloskey is survived by her children, David Jr., Diane, John (Amy), Gregory and Robert (Kami); and grandchildren Kelli, Michelle (Dan), Monica (Eddie), Marisa, Lindsay, Nicholas (Tara), Alexandra (Brian), Briana (Brendan) and Madison; and great-grandchildren Quinn Caitlyn, Fox Owen, Piper Elizabeth, Liam, Mila and Kade Patrick.

She also is survived by sister, JoAnne Priola (Michael Sr.); and brother, Luther Ickes (Donna); and their children.

Friends will be received from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Leo M. Bacha Funeral Home Inc., 516 Stanton St., Greensburg. Prayers will begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the funeral home, followed by a funeral Mass to be celebrated at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Greensburg. Interment will follow in Greensburg Catholic Cemetery. Donations may be made to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 1011 Mt. Pleasant Road, Greensburg, PA 15601.

County commissioners ordered county flags at all county buildings be lowered in McCloskey’s honor.

“She was a legendary figure who everyone always would be friends with,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes.

This story was updated 8/31/22 to correct the name of McCloskey’s surviving brother.

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