Joy O’Brien, the longest serving Maine Senate secretary in state history, died Wednesday following a battle with cancer, according to a press release from Maine Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland.

O’Brien, 60, of Portland, served as secretary of the Maine Senate for 25 years and most recently served as assistant secretary to Darek Grant, an Augusta city councilman.

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O’Brien

“No one knew the Senate better than Joy — and probably no one ever will,” Grant said in a statement. “It was Joy who mentored me ten years ago when I was hired as Senate Chamber staff and then again two years ago as Secretary of the Senate. Joy was a master parliamentarian and a legislative expert.”

O’Brien started her career in the New Hampshire Legislature as a nonpartisan staff member before coming to the Maine Legislature in 1980 as a special assistant in the Senate Democratic Minority Office, according to Alfond’s office. In 1982, she was sworn in as Senate secretary. After 12 consecutive years in the position, which is controlled by the majority party, she served various stints as secretary off and on.

The Senate secretary plays a key role in legislative proceedings, serving alongside the president to keep legislation moving and to ensure decorum.

O’Brien was instrumental in remodeling the Senate chamber, reopened the balcony for use during public sessions, and paved the way for the use of technology and computers in the offices and the chamber, according to Alfond’s office. Grant also remembered her for her passion for bowling. She was a member of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries.

Alfond called O’Brien “a trusted friend and teacher.”

“She had a high bar and high standards for all of us,” Alfond said in the statement. “Regardless of what side of the aisle you came from, none of us dared to disappoint her. She will be greatly missed by lawmakers and friends alike.”

In a statement released Wednesday evening, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, a former state senator, remembered O’Brien for being able to make a difficult job look easy.

“She knew the process inside and out, had a great sense of humor and strong convictions,” Pingree said in the statement. “She was kind, hard working and made a huge difference in her lifetime. We lost her way too soon.”

O’Brien’s death comes less than three weeks after the death of former House Clerk Millie MacFarland, 58, of Augusta, who died following complications from cancer. For many years, the women held similar jobs at either end of the third floor of the State House.

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District, a former Maine Senate president, called O’Brien “an incredible force.”

“She kept the Senate running for 30 years, helping manage virtually everything from floor proceedings, to nominations, to the Senate office staff,” Michaud said. “Joy was an incredible force, and her commitment to our state was an inspiration.”