Constance “Connie” Tuccinard Javens, who broke barriers as the first woman elected Beaver County Treasurer, died Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at her home in Monaca.
She was 88.
An obituary published by Gabauer-Lutton Funeral Home & Cremation Services said Javens passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and pets. Friends are being received Monday, Aug. 24, from 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home in Chippewa Township, followed by a private interment at St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery in Monaca.
Born August 25, 1937, in Rochester, Javens graduated from Monaca High School in 1955. She earned her pilot’s license shortly thereafter, an early sign of an independent streak that would define her decades in county government. She was married for 65 years to her husband, Francis “Sonny” Javens, a United States Marine Corps veteran who died in 2025.
Javens made Beaver County history as the first woman to become its elected Treasurer in 1992, the Democrat winning the first of seven terms spanning 28 years in office. Over that time she rose within the ranks of the Pennsylvania State Treasurers’ Association, holding the position of secretary before ultimately becoming its president.
She also served her community as a member of the Monaca School Board and the Community College of Beaver County Board of Trustees.
A 2008 Pittsburgh Quarterly Magazine profile of Javens described her as an “innovative public servant” with “a big, blond hairdo”, and highlighted her taxpayer-saving efforts to consolidate the collection of those taxes within Beaver County.
Javens’ tenure grew tumultuous in her final years of office amid allegations tied to the 2014 sale of Friendship Ridge — the county nursing home. County officials alleged she and a top financial aide had improperly moved millions of dollars from accounts connected to the sale. At the urging of county commissioners and the controller, Pennsylvania State Police opened a criminal investigation, but the district attorney shut it down before it concluded, calling the probe “unauthorized.” The county’s own detectives later found no basis for charges.
Javens sued six anonymous individuals for defamation who had posted negative comments under pseudonyms to news coverage about the controversy, and served a subpoena to BeaverCountian.com seeking to unmask their identities. The publication intervened on the commenters’ behalf; an out-of-county judge quashed the subpoenas and ruled the online paper’s reporters were protected by a state journalist’s shield law and could not be compelled to disclose any identifying information about the critics.
In her private life, Javens’ family described her as a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother who rarely missed her grandchildren’s sporting events, a passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fan who wore team gear “from head to toe, even down to her shoes,” and a well-known animal lover who always kept dogs by her side. Her campaign literature frequently featured Javens with that “big, blond hairdo” holding baskets of puppies, and she gave of her time and resources to help animals across Beaver County.
She nurtured her family on special occasions with her signature Italian gravy and meatballs, and enjoyed frequent trips to a family condominium in Myrtle Beach.
Javens is survived by her children, Dan Javens, Mark Javens, Renee Zuk and Randy Javens; 12 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and numerous other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband and her brothers, Phill and Ron Tuccinard.
Her family has asked memorial donations be made in her name to the Beaver County Humane Society.
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