Patsy Sloan, Bowling Green’s first female mayor, passed away Tuesday at age 85, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazing public servant.

“She was a groundbreaker,” said Elaine Walker, who served as the city’s third female mayor.

A Texas native, Sloan moved to Bowling Green in the 1960s and began a three-decade career as a teacher at Bowling Green High School.

She entered politics in 1977 with a successful run for city commission, becoming the first woman to win a city election.

She then ran for mayor a decade later. She said at the time that she proved doubters about her electability wrong when she first ran for the city commission, and she planned to do so again.

Her opposition was a retired business owner, Jim Cummings.

In November, Sloan won by a 4,573 to 3,629 margin.

“I’ve worked for a long time to be able to be in this position and it feels terrific,” she told the Daily News at the time.

In 1991, she announced she would not seek reelection and would be leaving city government after 14 years – ” … quite frankly, I believe I’ve paid my dues,” she told the Daily News.

Looking back on her historic tenure, Sloan told the Daily News in 2012, “I certainly didn’t run for office to be the first woman anything,” she said. “I just happened to be a woman who wanted to run for office.”

But Walker said Sloan was a groundbreaker, even if her modesty and focus on public service kept her from touting the fact.

“For those of us who aspired (to hold office) it was a big deal,” Walker said. “She was a mentor to me. … She always put the city and public first.”

After her tenure as an elected official, she remained active in various civic and governmental organizations, including the Warren County Downtown Economic Development Authority.

The city’s convention center in 2002 was named in her honor for her contributions to city government.

In a social media post, Gov. Andy Beshear said Sloan “made an impact on her community and women’s history through years of service.”

The city of Bowling Green issued a release about Sloan’s passing:

“Mayor Sloan was well-respected and remained dedicated to public service well beyond the time she served as an elected official for the City of Bowling Green,” current Bowling Green Mayor Todd Alcott said. “She touched many, many lives as a schoolteacher, as a leader, and as a compassionate, leading citizen within our community.”

City Manager Jeff Meisel knew Mrs. Sloan for decades and is a former student.

“I’ve known Patsy since I was about nine years old. My grandparents lived next door to her,”  Meisel said in the release. “She let me play in her backyard. Then I had her in class when I was a junior. That was one of the most interesting classes I had in high school.”

Alcott has ordered all city flags to remain lowered to half-staff until after Sloan’s funeral. The flags were already lowered in honor of President Carter.

Arrangements are under the direction of J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Chapels.