Louise A Biddle

Louise A. Biddle, age 100, passed peacefully on February 27, 2025.

Beloved wife of the late Charles A. Biddle, loving mother of Chuck (Eileen) Biddle; devoted sister to Julia Lipps and Sylvia Urbanski; affectionate cousin to many, proud aunt to many, many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Barbara (Ferrari) Argiro, her brother, Thomas Argiro, her sister, Mary Argiro, and her brother, Joseph Argiro. 

A second grade teacher for 38 years at Roosevelt School, Louise knew from a young age that she wanted to be a teacher. And she was - from age 23 until 98, when she tutored her most recent student. 

“She changed my whole trajectory about learning; she instilled confidence in me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.” How many children raised in the South Hills and Mon Valley would join Maggie Elinsky in expressing similar sentiments about Mrs. Louise Biddle? The number is likely in the hundreds; possibly thousands. 

If you ever dined at the Country Kitchen restaurant in West Elizabeth, you’re sure to have met Louise, who lived above the restaurant and frequently had breakfast there to visit with old friends and make new ones. She and her late husband, Charles, opened the then-Gondolier Restaurant in 1955 and operated it until the early 1960’s, while she was teaching.

You may also have seen Louise at West Elizabeth Borough meetings and events, where she was a member of the Board Council, having served as president for seven years. For the past 10 years, she served as Recording Secretary for the West Jefferson Hills Chamber of Commerce and attended various Chamber events and ribbon cuttings. 

Louise also volunteered with numerous organizations, including the Olivet Food Pantry, was a Women of Achievement Award recipient, and inductee to the West Jefferson Hills School District Hall of Fame.

Louise’s Catholic faith was a constant in her life both in service to St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Jefferson Hills and to the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer in Elizabeth. She counted many parishioners, priests and nuns among her closest friends.

Born on April 11, 1924, Louise was raised in Everson, West Virgina with her loving family. She learned about helping others and having a strong work-ethic at a young age. 

“My father had a store,” she recalled. ”During the depression, he helped people out. But then they couldn’t pay him back, so he went to work in the (coal) mines and worked in the mines for 44 years. There were a lot of obstacles we had to overcome.”

Louise began pursuit of a teaching career as a student at Fairmont State College, while also juggling a full-time second shift position at the Westinghouse factory in Fairmont, West Virginia.

“I will always remember Mr. Lambert, the Westinghouse supervisor saying to me,

‘Hiring you would be a risk; I’m going to gamble.’

“I went to school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., then worked in the factory making regular and fog car headlights from 3:30 p.m-midnight. I would take the street car home, study or do homework, go to bed and then get up at 6 a.m. I did that for 3 ½ years. I made $100 a week.”

“Ever since I was that high (gestures with hand), I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Louise added. “Rose, an older cousin, paved the way for me to go to college.”

Louise graduated from Fairmont State in 1947 and Westinghouse realized its “gamble” had paid off handsomely and wanted her to continue working at the factory. “They wanted me to stay, but in my heart, I wanted to be a teacher.”

She was hired at the old Roosevelt School in Large before the 1947-48 school year. She taught second grade for 38 years, retiring in 1985. For much of the time Louise taught at Roosevelt, she was appointed the head teacher. She helped supervise students getting on and off the buses, in addition to being a homeroom educator who taught reading, English, spelling, science and math. 

“I took pride in the school and the building,” said Louise. “The main hallway shined in the morning; the building was clean. I didn’t have a favorite subject; I loved them all. We had to meet the needs of the kids. You have to know the child you’re working with; what works for one child doesn’t work for another.”

While at Roosevelt, Louise met her future husband, Charles, who taught English. He was raised in West Elizabeth and, as a teenager, walked over the Elizabeth Bridge, crossing the Monongahela River every school day to attend Elizabeth High School. 

They were married in 1951 and moved to West Elizabeth. In 1955, the Biddles opened the Gondolier Restaurant. Through their effort and the efforts family members on both sides, they welcomed a loyal group of diners for many years. Four years after it opened, Louise and her husband built an apartment above their restaurant, where Louise continued to live for the next 63 years. She spent the days teaching, worked at the restaurant until closing, then graded homework at her dining room table before getting a few hours sleep and then doing it all over again the next day. When people would ask Louise why she and her husband chose to live above their restaurant, she would smile and say, “We have four walls, a roof and love.”

It will come as no surprise that when Louise retired in 1985, she had 300-plus unused sick days to her credit. In 1992, Louise was asked by the district Superintendent to step in and teach a 5th grade class at McClellan Elementary School. She accepted and taught 5th grade for 5-6 months. “You go to help. At the end of the year, I gave them a hug; the kids cried when I left. I always include the kids in the school district in my prayers.” 

Louise was an exceptional educator. Nominated for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in 1977 by former WJHSD Superintendent Dr. Foster Rutter, she tutored students for decades, stopping at age 98. 

“I would go to her apartment in the evening,” former student (and future teacher) Maggie Elinsky recalled. “She had everything prepared - there was Countrytime lemonade and pretzels on a plate. It was a warm, welcoming, comforting environment, but, you’d quickly sit down at the table and get to work; she meant business. She has a very encouraging presence about her and a strong belief in her students. It’s a different level for her that’s just special; leaps and bounds above others. It’s her energy, compassion and charisma. She would tell me, ‘You can do whatever you want.”

Another way Louise helped was by being a mentor and welcoming the next generation of teachers into her classroom. Students she had taught at Roosevelt would regularly come visit her class to observe and learn during their student teaching.

One young teacher who was influenced by Louise’s way with her students was Sue Mackulin, who became one of her best friends. “I observed her; I tried to learn from her about discipline. She was firm, but kind. Louise made every student feel special. She encouraged them and boosted their self-worth. She spent a lot of time with her students; gave each one of them individual attention.”

Louise led an exemplary life as an educator and as a public servant. Her legacy will carry on through the generations of students and student teachers who were the beneficiaries of her love and dedication to teaching. 

The family would like to thank Jeff Nelson for his thoughtful words about Louise. In addition, the family would like to thank the staffs at Jefferson Hospital and Whitehall Borough Post-Acute for their dedicated and caring attention to Louise over the past months.

Family & Friends will be received Tuesday, March 4th from 2-4 & 6-9 PM and on Wednesday, March 5th from 2-4 & 6-9 PM at Stephen D. Slater Funeral Home, 1701 Route 51 Jefferson Hills, PA 15025. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Isaac Jogues Church, 1216 Collins Ave. Jefferson Hills, PA 15025, St John XXIII Parish, on Thursday, March 6th at 10 am. Everyone Please Meet at Church. Interment will follow at Round Hill Cemetery in Elizabeth, PA. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Olivet Food Pantry, 726 4th Street, Box 526, West Elizabeth, PA 15088. www.olivetfoodpantry.org

Her LEGACY will carry on through the generations of students and student teachers who were the beneficiaries of her love and dedication to teaching.