Obituary of Elizabeth R. Irving

Irving – Elizabeth R. (nee Ross)

Elizabeth R. Irving, a retired librarian from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System, died Sunday, April 14, 2019. She was 94.

After Elizabeth worked her way through college and graduated from Geneseo State Teachers College (now SUNY Geneseo) in 1947, she took a one-year library internship in Hawaii and traveled the West Coast with friends before returning home to Western New York.

She moved to the City of Buffalo and worked as a public librarian before marrying a World War II Veteran from her home village of Gowanda and raising a family of three children. Before her children were all grown, she went back to work for the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System until she retired at age 70 after more than 35 years of service.

During her career as a librarian, she served on various professional committees to stay in touch with the growth and cultural welfare of the city. She religiously volunteered for events to support the libraries of Buffalo, her local community and the downtown theatre district. Her love and support of the arts and culture in the city never waned nor did her love of libraries and reading.

April 14, 2019; wife of the late William J. Irving; mother of William R. (Elisabeth) Irving, Jane I. (William) Harrington, and Joan C. (fiancé Michael J. Andrejcak) Irving; sister of the late Cutler M. (late June) Ross, Sr.; grandmother of Victoria (Timothy Wood) Irving; Melissa Harrington, Emilie (Adrian Coleman) Harrington and Charles (Anastasia Harisis) Harrington; aunt of Carol Rau and Cutler Ross, Jr.

The family will be present to receive friends on Thursday, April 25th from 3:30-7:30pm at Beach-Tuyn Funeral Home, Inc., 5541 Main Street (at Cayuga Road), Williamsville, NY. A Memorial will be celebrated on Friday, April 26, 2019, 11:00am at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 724 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY. Friends are invited.