Bowling Green lost two true public servants last week with the passing of Patsy Sloan and Danny Carothers.

Sloan was the first woman elected in the city of Bowling Green when she joined the city commission in 1977.

A decade later, she again made history by winning the mayoral election.

Sloan later downplayed her milestone –  “I certainly didn’t run for office to be the first woman anything. I just happened to be a woman who wanted to run for office,” she told the Daily News years later.

But there is no doubt that Sloan, who also spent three decades as a teacher at Bowling Green High School, paved the way for many others to seek office.

“She was a groundbreaker,” said Elaine Walker, who served as the city’s third female mayor. “She was a mentor to me. … She always put the city and public first.”

And while Sloan stepped down from political office after her term as mayor, she continued to be involved in various organizations and civic efforts.

Carothers served as a coach, volunteer, mentor, teacher and so much more in his decades of public service across Bowling Green.

His involvement spanned The Foundry Christian Community Center, West Side Camp, Megan’s Mobile Grocery Store to Boys To Men at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary School and coaching youth sports.

“I think to different people you ask, he will mean something different,” said Gary Fields, superintendent of the Bowling Green Independent School District. “That’s a sign of somebody who really, really made an impact.”

Added the Rev. Ron Whitlock, Sr.: “Some people, as Christians, think the job is just to go to heaven, but Danny knew that we should try to make heaven here on earth, and that’s what he did. He changed a lot of children’s lives.”

Between them, Sloan and Carothers impacted countless lives in our community and deserve to stand as examples of true public servants and be remembered and heralded for their contributions.

They will be truly missed.