Veteran journalist and news editor of The Tribune Teresa Moore, 51, died this morning at the Community Hospice Care Center in Ashland, Ky., following a three-year battle with cancer.

Moore, who went into the hospice on Tuesday, had been on medical leave from the newspaper since November.

The Marshall University graduate joined The Tribune staff in 2002 as a reporter covering the Lawrence County Courthouse after a career in radio broadcast journalism. Part of that beat included the Lawrence County Commission. County Auditor Jason Stephens, who was on commission at that time, recalls Moore’s professionalism.

“She worked hard to cover the commissioners,” Stephens said. “She was a staple at the commissioners’ meetings. I used to joke with her that we should write a novel about what happened that you couldn’t put in the newspaper.”

Moore also covered the Lawrence County Common Pleas Courts where County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson called her a colleague and a friend.

“She was a pleasure to work with,” Anderson said. “She did an excellent job of keeping up with the day-to-day operations of the courts.”

In the spring of 2010 Moore was elevated to the post of news editor for The Tribune and moved her beat from the county to covering the city of Ironton including its government operations.

“My first thought is what a wonderful person who treated everyone fairly and with respect,” Mayor Rich Blankenship said.

Moore also reported on the initial work of the grass-roots beautification organization, Ironton in Bloom, that over the past four years has improved the city with a variety of landscaping projects.

“Teresa was one of the first to get on board with Ironton in Bloom and shared our vision as we made our first baby steps,” Carol Allen, IIB president, said. “We will be forever grateful for all she has done to make Ironton a better place to live. She is a special lady.”

One of Ironton’s premier events is the Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade, the longest continuous Memorial Day parade in the country. Moore’s coverage of the event was a tradition at the newspaper, spending long hours interviewing parade participants and the thousands who lined the streets to watch.

Spearheading the organization of the parade has been for decades Lou Pyles.

“We worked together on the parade for a long time,” Pyles said. “She was one of the loveliest, nicest persons I have ever met, always so nice and helpful. She was a special friend and did a wonderful job at what she did. This is a real heartbreaker to lose her like this. She has been so courageous in this battle. I hate losing wonderful people like this in our lives. I really treasured our friendship.”

Throughout her career at The Tribune Moore received numerous awards for her reporting including 25 individual and group awards from the Ohio Associated Press. She took first place for best investigative work in 2005 for her series, “Death of a Hospital,” about the closure of River Valley Health Systems. She was also honored with an AP community service award for starting the “Lawrence County’s Most Wanted” series that helped catch probation violators.

Another community organization Moore reported on frequently was the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District and its work to clean up illegal dumps across the county.

“She has truly been a very great friend,” director Dan Palmer said. “I think she has done a splendid job with our stories. I remember the days she has gone out with us and walked the roads with us. She was never one to invoke sympathy. In the times you would see her you knew she was suffering but she continued to do her work. She never complained. Very admirable. It makes you reflect. One good person.”