The Town of Griffith’s Central Market will be a little less bright on Friday nights without its favorite beer-garden ticket taker and perhaps the town’s biggest champion.
Councilwoman Patricia Schaadt, R-4th, died Monday night after a brief illness. She was 90.
“Pat was a dear friend to us all. She was extremely proud to serve the citizens of Griffith and never missed a vote during the last five years she was on the Council,” Town Council President Rick Ryfa said in a Tuesday release. “She will be sincerely missed.”
A 2015 Post-Tribune profile said Schaadt, a businesswoman at heart, was talked into running for office after a family friend talked her into running for his seat. She ran as a Democrat, however, much to the consternation of her family.
After retiring in 1988 after her third term, she was contacted by the Griffith Republican Party to run again in 1992. She won another term but was beaten in 2000, then came back again in 2011.
Known for her calm but direct demeanor, Schaadt said one of her pet projects over the years had been getting out of Calumet Township. She was told it would never happen way back when she suggested it, but being part of the process later was gratifying to her.
Schaadt was also a supporter of the town’s Senior Center and could always be counted on to fill in for town functions. She’d just played Mrs. Claus on Monday, according to Ryfa.
Schaadt was also about to add Sagamore on the Wabash recipient to her accomplishments list, Ryfa said. The council was waiting for the award to arrive to present it to Schaadt at the last Council meeting, but it hasn’t arrived. The council will present it to her posthumously, Ryfa said.
“Councilwoman Schaadt was an inspiration to me and just about everyone else who had the pleasure of knowing her,” said Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance, who often picked up Schaadt when conditions were bad for her to drive. “Throughout her life, she lived a life of true service to the public. Through her efforts on the Griffith Town Council, as well as the various volunteer activities she championed, she leaves a legacy of helping others that we should all follow.”
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Schaadt is survived by her daughter, Patricia E. (William) Dempsey, of Hebron; two granddaughters, Shana Gene Dempsey and Alesha Evelyn Dempsey, also of Hebron; daughter-in-law Kristin Schaadt of Quincy, Ill.; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Cyril; sons John Henry and Mark; sister Alene Henke; and sister-in-law Leona Perisin, of Burbank, Ill.
Funeral arrangements are pending, Ryfa said.
Schaadt is the third town administrator to die in office in less than five years, Ryfa said. She was preceded by Clerk-Treasurer-elect William Broderick in 2012, and Councilman Glen Gaby in 2015.
The town will have 30 days to hold a Republican caucus to replace her on the town council, Ryfa said.