Longtime Fayette County assistant public defender killed in early morning fire
Mary Campbell-Spegar was a woman of faith, a devoted mother to her son, and a skilled defense attorney who gave each of her clients 100 percent of her effort.
Her death in an early Sunday morning house fire left Fayette County’s legal community reeling, with many struggling to find the words to talk about the 54-year-old who greeted those she knew with a hug and a smile.
Those who spoke about Campbell-Spegar remembered her as a kind, genuine woman who stopped to ask people how they were doing – because she truly wanted to know.
“She was a ray of sunshine in a gloomy world,” attorney Michelle L. Kelley said of her friend.
Her thoughts mimicked many discussions about Campbell-Spegar’s disposition, caring and work ethic on Sunday afternoon.
“She was the kindest, most generous and wonderful person in our bar, but more than that,” attorney Vince Tiberi said. “She (had) one of the truly biggest hearts of anyone that I know.”
But as frequently as those who spoke about Campbell-Spegar’s dedication to her job, so too did they discuss her devotion to her only child.
“She lived for her son Michael,” Tiberi said.
Attorney Susan Ritz Harper, who worked with Campbell-Spegar for two decades, said when she spoke to her friend on Thursday, Campbell-Spegar excitedly shared that her son just gotten a full-time job.
“She was so excited for him. … She told me she couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving, because she felt really blessed this year,” Ritz Harper said. “She was so upbeat and positive. This just breaks my heart.”
Fayette County Judge Joseph M. George Jr., a former prosecutor who tried many cases against Campbell-Spegar when both were starting out in their legal careers in the mid-1990s, also said her son was always in the forefront of her mind.
“She was a proud and devoted mother who mentioned her son Michael in almost every conversation I’ve had with her,” he said, adding that she maintained a strong dedication to her Catholic faith.
State police are continuing to investigate what started the fire at Campbell-Spegar’s home on Old Mill Road in Wharton Township, but do not believe it to be suspicious. The blaze was called in to emergency responders around 7:30 a.m. by a neighbor. When firefighters arrived minutes later, officials said the home was fully engulfed in flames.
Campbell-Spegar worked as a deputy public defender for more than 20 years, serving alongside Ritz Harper, Jeffrey Whiteko and David Kaiser.
“She had faith. Faith was very big to Mary. She truly believed in her faith and it guided her,” said Ritz Harper, the first assistant public defender in the office.
“I’m just in shock. It’s hard to say anything,” said Whiteko, the county’s chief public defender, just hours after he learned of her death.
He said Campbell-Spegar was the kind of attorney who gave every client all of her effort on any case she was assigned.
“I don’t care if it was the theft of a bicycle or a homicide,” he said. “She gave it her all, and she really fought for (her clients).”
Kaiser and Ritz Harper, along with a cadre of others, offered the same thoughts.
“It was like each client was a close family member and she would go above and beyond her duty as a lawyer. She would do whatever was necessary to effectively represent them,” said Kaiser, an assistant public defender.
“She cared about her clients, and as a result of how much she cared for them, she really fought hard for them,” said county President Judge John F. Wagner Jr. “She didn’t leave a stone unturned … and she did the best for her clients in some pretty difficult circumstances.”
He recalled Campbell-Spegar as thoughtful and caring, doling out hugs to clients in court, encouraging them to stay out of trouble.
“She had a big heart,” he said.
Kelley and Ritz Harper said Campbell-Spegar also served as a guardian ad litem, a court-appointed attorney who looks out for the best interest of minors in the child welfare system.
It was not unusual for her to meet with the children she represented at McDonalds, buying them something to eat as she talked to them.
That, they said, was how she was. She truly cared about people.
Just Friday, Campbell-Spegar was at a yoga class. The instructor fell ill and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, Kelley said.
“Mary jumped in her car, followed the ambulance and stayed until they discharged her,” Kelley said. “That was Mary. … She was a beautiful person.”
The women became closer friends over the last two years, Kelley said.
“She was a true friend – an absolute true friend – and they’re hard to come by,” Kelley said. “She’ll be deeply missed.”
Kaiser recalled filling in for Campbell-Spegar in court when her son, now grown, was younger. She didn’t want to miss anything in Michael’s life, Kaiser said.
Recently, she’d been repaying the favor so Kaiser could have the same opportunity to be there for his 3-year-old.
“That’s just the type of person she was – good hearted. I feel so badly for her son and her family. We all lost a good person today,” he said.
After so many years of working together, Ritz-Harper, Kaiser and Whiteko said there will be a void in their office without Campbell-Spegar.
“I just can’t imagine it without her,” Ritz Harper said.