Diane Belitskus of New Kensington left her job directing Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley after 16 years in August, but it hasn't left her.

Even as she prepares to move to Georgia this week, Belitskus, 68, can't detach herself from the Habitat affiliate's ongoing project.

The organization is restoring an Arnold property on Leishman Avenue for a single mother and her two children, one of whom is physically handicapped. The family is currently living in a duplex, where the mother is forced to carry her handicapped son along the outside of the unit to use its only bathroom, in the basement.

Belitskus started the project this summer and Habitat is scrambling to get the family in the Leishman Avenue house before winter.

It's that deadline — not the packing, change of address or her New Kensington house that has yet to sell — that weighs most heavily on Belitskus' mind.

“It's really hard to just walk away from it,” she said. “It's not like other jobs. It's someone's life that's in the balance and you want to see the thing the whole way through.”

It's the 20th house that Belitskus set out to restore for homeless or struggling families since joining Habitat 16 years ago.

The mother of four was recruited in 1997 by the HHAV Board of Directors to serve as the affiliate's first development coordinator.

She was recommended by Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island Bishop Nicholas Knisely, then a board member and rector at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Brackenridge. Belitskus worked with Knisely for years as a youth group leader at the Brackenridge church.

Knisely said that more than her organizational or leadership skills, he saw proof of Belitskus' qualification in her children.

“Anyone who could raise such wonderful children is obviously capable of incredible things,” he said. “I knew she'd do great because she's a great person. I've often used her anonymously in my sermons as someone with true faith and compassion.”

Knisely's suggestion was appreciated by his fellow board members. The Rev. Dr. James Legge, then board president, said Belitskus made an instant impression on all of them and an immediate impact on the organization.

“It wasn't work for her,” said the pastor of Tarentum's Bull Creek United Presbyterian Church. “Helping people is her passion. She put in more of her time, money and effort than anyone could have ever asked for.”

Two months after stepping down as HHAV executive director, Belitskus is still putting up her own money for the cause that she fervently promoted for almost two decades.

Last week, she paid twice the amount listed for a small furniture item at Habitat's ReStore in New Kensington. Paying double at the Industrial Boulevard location is a habit Belitskus has practiced since opening the store six years ago.

The ReStore collects donated household items such as furniture and glassware and sells them to support housing restoration projects.

Dan Casella, Belitskus' successor as HHAV executive director, said the store exemplifies Belitskus' dedication to Habitat's mission and stands as a constant reminder of the work she's done.

“There are 20 families in the area that have a roof over their heads just because of Diane,” he said. “Those are tough shoes to fill. There's no doubt in my mind that this affiliate wouldn't be anywhere near where it is today without her.”

In her tenure as executive director, one project that ended in tragedy sticks in Belitskus' memory.

Habitat volunteer crews spent months, she said, rehabilitating a house off Seventh Street between Constitution Boulevard and Spruce Street. They were making the house habitable for an older couple who had recently taken in seven of their grandchildren.

The house changed hands six years later and, in 2010, the house burned to the ground. A teenager died in the blaze.

“It was so tragic,” Belitskus said. “I couldn't get myself to even drive by it for a month — so much pain for that family.”

Still, Belitskus would rather focus on the good than the bad as she reflects on a career that changed dozens of lives in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“It was the coolest job ever,” she said. “Such a blessing. I think now that it's a good time to step aside, though. The move helps me move on a little bit.”

She and her husband, David, will spend their retirement in a home they built on Tybee Island, Ga. They'll be close there to their youngest adult child and only daughter, Deborah, who works and lives in nearby Savannah.

The couple also has three sons who live in Maryland and Pennsylvania — one in New Kensington — with five grandchildren between them.

“My grandchildren will be teenagers and won't have a lot of time anymore,” she said. “So, it's the perfect time to move. I'm going to miss everybody, but it's time to start a new chapter in my life.”

The Alle-Kiski Valley, Casella said, will miss her more.

Braden Ashe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4673 or bashe@tribweb.com.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---