Susan Menard Explained

Susan Menard
Order1:31st Mayor of Woonsocket
Term Start1:1995
Term End1:2009
Predecessor1:Francis L. Lanctot
Successor1:Leo T. Fontaine
Birth Date: 1948
Birth Place:Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S.
Death Date: September 2022 (aged 74)
Death Place:Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S.
Partner:Daniel Grabowski
Children:2
Party:Democratic

Susan Menard (died September 2022) was an American politician who served as the 31st mayor of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, from 1995 to 2009.[1] She was the first female mayor and longest serving mayor in Woonsocket history.[2]

Career

Menard first was elected to the Woonsocket School Committee in 1981. She was later elected to the Woonsocket City Council and became its first female president.[3] She was urged into politics by Douglas Brown, a former member of the School Committee.[4] Menard was elected as mayor of Woonsocket in 1995, beating opponent Vincent Ward. She served until 2009, making her the longest serving mayor in the city's history. She is one of only four female mayors ever elected in Rhode Island.

Personal life and death

On April 14, 2009, the same year she left office, Menard's daughter Carrie Pilavin died aged 31.[5] On September 17, 2022, Menard's older brother Robert Miller died, aged 81. She was listed as alive in his obituary.[6]

Menard had a long-term relationship with Daniel Grabowski. On September 20, 2022, both of their bodies were found in Menard's home. Menard is survived by her sister Marilyn and grandchildren Jacob, Nathan, Madison and Colin.[7] Autopsy reports revealed that Menard had died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Grabowski of type-2 diabetes.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of Mayors City of Woonsocket RI . 2022-09-24 . www.woonsocketri.org.
  2. Web site: Second decomposed body found in former Rhode Island mayor's house identified . 2022-09-24 . NBC News . 23 September 2022 . en.
  3. Web site: 2022-09-22 . Police identify seven-term mayor Susan Menard as one of two bodies found in home . 2022-09-24 . The Focus . en-GB.
  4. Web site: Remembering Susan Menard, Woonsocket's trailblazing, take-charge mayor - The Boston Globe . 2022-09-24 . BostonGlobe.com . en-US.
  5. Web site: Carrie M. Pilavin Obituary (2009) Boston Globe . .
  6. Web site: The Providence Journal Obituaries in Providence, RI | the Providence Journal .
  7. Web site: Second decomposed body found in former Rhode Island mayor's house identified . . 23 September 2022 .
  8. Web site: Remains discovered in Rhode Island home confirmed to be former Woonsocket mayor . .