Rebecca Humphrey

Rebecca B. Humphrey 1927-2025

Died peacefully at her home in Greensburg on Sunday, December 14 age 98 and 10 months. Nee Rebecca Coulter Barclay on February 28, 1927, Becca was the daughter of Josephine Lenhart Eicher and John Barclay, Jr., both natives of Greensburg. She was pre-deceased by her brother John Barclay III in 1963 and a daughter Margaret Barclay Humphrey in 2000.

Rebecca was a descendant of both early Swiss-German and Scotch Irish settlers of western Pennsylvania. Many of those having crossed the mountains and settled in Bedford and Westmoreland Counties in the period 1780-1820. Her paternal ancestors included Col. Hugh Barclay an early Ranger on the Frontiers of Bedford, Alexander Johnston an early surveyor and builder of Kingston House by the Loyalhanna Dam in 1815, and Thomas Johnston Barclay founder of the Barclay Bank in Greensburg in 1854 (later Barclay-Westmoreland Trust Company). She was also the last descendant living in Greensburg of the early Coulter family which settled here prior to 1790. These ancestors included Eli Coulter and his grandson General Richard Coulter, who served in both the Mexican and Civil Wars. Other prominent Greensburg ancestral families included the Alexanders and Bradys of Cumberland County, Eichers, Glunts, Kuhns, Marchands, and Weltys.

Rebecca’s early schooling included the Fourth Ward in Greensburg, Winchester-Thurston in Pittsburgh, and the Westover School in Connecticut. She followed her mother by enrolling in Smith College in Northampton, MA and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology in 1948. In college she developed a deep love of science and the natural world, after having spent a good deal of her senior year studying fruit flies. That curiosity about wildlife and love of animals remained a driving force throughout her life.

Becca was married to Arthur F. Humphrey, Jr. in 1948. They moved to a small farm on the outskirts of town that had once been the country seat of early Greensburg Judge John Young and his Clopper descendants. There they became the parents of three adopted children. She is survived by two sons, Arthur Field Humphrey III of Coral Gables, FL and John Barclay Humphrey (Maggie Leonard) of Monterey, MA.

Rebecca was a member of the Friday Club, Pike Run Country Club, Rolling Rock Club, as well as the Garden Club of Allegheny County for many years. Her love of travel led her to many international adventures, with a particular fondness for trips to the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as the island of South Georgia. She claimed to be happiest when visiting very cold climes. Rebecca was steadfast contributor to a host of wildlife charities. Memorial services will be private. Those who wish to make donations in her memory may consider the Greensburg-Hempfield Library (237 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg, PA 15601), Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (17000 Hawk Mountain Rd., Kempton, PA 19529), Planned Parenthood, or a wildlife charity of your choice. A private service was held under the direction of Kepple-Graft Funeral Home, Greensburg. For online condolences, please visit www.kepplegraft.com