An appeal has been launched to find the family and friends of a Scottish woman who left £376,000 to two Lanarkshire libraries – decades after she bid farewell to her hometown for a new life in the US.

Letitia McKell was in her 20s when she left Wishaw for America in 1945.

After she died in a Seattle hospital in September 2001, aged 81, both Motherwell Library and East Kilbride Central Library received £188,000 each.

South Lanarkshire Council used the cash to refurbish the East Kilbride building, which included ceiling repairs and new LED lighting.

In Motherwell, refurbishment work funded by Mrs McKell’s donation is nearing completion – with North Lanarkshire Council bosses inviting her family and friends to a ceremony to share in her memory.

Russell Brown, communities library manager, said: “Thanks to Mrs McKell’s generous contribution, we have been able to create a new creative and craft space within the facility.

“The Letitia McKell MakerSpace is the final part of a five-year redevelopment project at Motherwell Library, which also included a complete reroofing and rendering of the building, a full rewire and total redesign of both the ground and first floor.”

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The library’s new MakerSpace, and other redeveloped spaces, will officially open later this month and the team wants Mrs McKell’s family and friends to be a part of the celebration.

The local authority is appealing for more information about Mrs McKell’s life, particularly her earlier years in Wishaw which may have inspired the generous donation.

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Mrs McKell – nee Milligan – was born in Wishaw to James and Christina Milligan on 5 December 1919.

She married Frank McKell before moving to America in 1945.

Mrs McKell was survived by two sisters, Jessamine Miller and Winnie Mosier, but it is believed the women have both since died.

Ms Miller spent her life in Scotland, while Ms Mosier moved to Canada.

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Councillor Jim Logue, North Lanarkshire Council leader, said: “We cannot thank Letitia enough for her kindness and generosity.

“It’s remarkable that someone who moved away from North Lanarkshire more than half a century ago never forgot where she came from and her love of Motherwell Library.

“We feel it’s important to that anyone related to her or who remembers her should attend the opening and share memories of her.”

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