Lorna Kay Beals
Lorna Kay Beals, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully on April 27, 2025 at the age of 83 at her home in Waterford, PA, surrounded by the people she had loved so well.
Born on January 9, 1942 in Waverly, WV, she was the daughter of Clara Rebecca (Knost) and Louis Herbert Harness.
Kay was her husband Dave’s “sweetheart” for fifty-four years and a role model for her three daughters. She was known for her love of nature, her warm and spontaneous hugs, and her feisty (some might say ornery) spirit. Serving others was her life’s theme and passion. Whether it was caring for neighbors, or volunteering at her children’s schools, activities, or church, she pitched in enthusiastically. She also volunteered with the fire department, judged at the county fair, adopted a highway all on her own, taught non-native speakers to read and write in English, and installed roofs on homes after a hurricane. She was a doer and a helper.
Kay found great joy in walking in her woods, especially with friends and family, tending her flowers, raising Monarch butterflies, and sewing. She was so proud to make her daughters’ wedding gowns.
Kay was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Norma McWilliams; and her brother, Gerald Harness.
She is survived by her loving and devoted spouse, Roger David Beals; her children, Melanie Goan (Brad), Courtney Ansell (Corey), and Ashlie Arkwright (Liam); her grandchildren, Addison, Eli, and Grayson Goan, Jacob and Joshua Ansell, and Vivienne, Sullivan, and Karenna Arkwright; her sisters, Virginia Bensink, Betty McGill, and Lillian Clabbatz; and many nieces and nephews.
Family will gather to celebrate her life this summer. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Erie Church of Christ, LECOM VNA, or the Alzheimer’s Association in her memory.