MATTAWA - Mayor Judy Esser, the woman who gave a large share of her life in service to her community, died on Thursday, April 10. She was 68.

Esser had been ill with several conditions, including breast cancer, for several years. Because of a lung condition, she was on oxygen for many years.

Toward the end, there was a lengthy vigil. Esser died at home with her husband Bruce Eskildsen, one daughter and close friends at her side.

"She was already sick when I came here eight years ago," good friend and two-year employee Diane Hanson said. "She was a fierce fighter. She really fought that breast cancer."

Esser served as mayor of Mattawa for more than 20 years. She was on the city council before that.

"She spent a good portion of her life serving the city she loved," Hanson said. "A lot of the good things that happened for Mattawa happened because of her."

Hanson, who helped the family cope with the final days, worked for Esser at city hall and later in the family's private business.

According to Hanson, funeral services for Esser will be held in Mansfield, where the family has a wheat farm, on Thursday.

There will be a memorial service at the Sagebrush Senior Center in Desert Aire on Saturday.