There's an interview somewhere in print with Terrayne where she talked about how fond the fans were of the Beth role. When she came back, she did not care for the role of Edith, and neither apparently did the fans. She spoke of fans writing letters in imploring the show to bring Beth back.
This may be the only instance, apart from Diana Millay with Laura, that I've heard of someone who worked on the show being so personally invested in a specific role.
G.