This was the correct move.
Left gear should stay at 2
She's not a serious rider.
In fact, just remove the front shifter
Problem solved.
1x8
All she needs

Nah, leave the FD on as a drop guard but use the limit screws to lock it in the middle ring and remove the front shifter.

Lots of good advice here. I would only add, despite Fuji's suggestion, what ever you do, don't ask her what she wants.

Better to buy a used bike with what you want. Another option though is to replace the inner chain ring with a larger one and have a wide range rear cassette with a new derailleur with a longer cage. This is roughly a $100 investment in her current bike. She can use the new inside chainring 100% of the time.

I often ride with the chain on the outer chainring and only switch to the inner chainring when encountering a long steep grade so get a lower gear. 95% of the time I am using only the large chainring. I get better chain alignment with this approach and make fewer chainring changes.