FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — Friends and family are mourning the loss of a longtime Fayette County attorney on Sunday night.
Mary Campbell-Spegar died in a fire at her home early Sunday morning.
Close to 20 attorneys and judges gathered at the county courthouse to talk with Channel 11 about their colleague and friend.
"The district attorney's office lost a worthy opponent, but more importantly, we've lost a friend and the county has lost a zealous advocate,” said assistant district attorney Brent Peck.
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Spegar was a prominent public defender in Fayette County for decades. Her dedication and passion for her clients is what set her apart from her peers.
On Sunday, just before 7:30 a.m., firefighters responded to Campbell-Spegar's home in the 100 block of Old Mill Road in Wharton Township to a neighbor's report of a fire.
State police in Uniontown say when they arrived the house was fully engulfed. The fire doesn't appear to be suspicious but is still under investigation.
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"Mary was a fixture here in Fayette County,” said Common Pleas Judge Nancy Vernon. “She was well-known, she was very compassionate and kind. I never heard her say a negative thing about anyone.”
"She believed in her clients. I'm not sure anyone else in the county believed as much in her clients as she did," said former district attorney Jack Henecks.
Admiration for Campbell-Spegar went beyond the courtroom.
"She was a mother devoted to her son," said attorney Michelle Kelley. "It's hard for me to compare her devotion. She loved her Michael."