SAFFORD - The city of Safford, and the entire Gila Valley, suffered a tremendous loss this week with the unexpected passing of Safford City-Graham County Library Director Leanne McElroy.

Sunday evening, McElroy was flown from Mount Graham Regional Medical Center to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson after suffering a massive heart attack at home. After what her brother-in-law, Paul David, called a valiant effort by hospital staff, she was taken off life support on Wednesday and died that afternoon.

It is with a heavy heart that the library announces the passing of our leader, our inspiration and our dear friend, the LIbrary said in a Thursday morning press release.

She leaves behind the legacy of a library for everyone, the release continued, nurturing of knowledge and growth for all ages. Bringing her experience from Habitat for Humanity and her travels across the world, she set the library on a path toward becoming a centerpiece of learning and compassion in the community. We will dearly miss her smile, her guidance and her loving kindness.

McElroy, who earned a Masters degree in Russian Studies from Georgetown University, started as Library Director in November 2012. Her legacy includes a rich variety of educational and community activities including ScienceCity, Star Wars Day, the Library Coding Club, Library-Con and the Local Author BookFest, which debuted this February. Under her direction, the library also made its childrens book section easier for young readers to use and planned to expand its large print collection.

She was an amazing woman and an amazing director, said Senior Library Technician Brandon Nite. It was a pleasure to work with her.

Services for McElroy are tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14 at the Safford Stake Center, 515 Catalina Dr. The library will close that day in her memory.

Her interment is tentatively planned for Tuesday the 15th, at a family ranch near Douglas. She is survived by her husband Philip McElroy and daughter Lydia.

David Sowders is a member of the Safford City-Graham County Library Advisory Board.

More here:
Library director McElroy passes - Eastern Arizona Courier