Pat O’Dwyer, Democratic Matriarch, Dies

CHESTER – Patricia O’Dwyer, a fixture in Orange County Democrat politics, died Friday.
To the party faithful, she was the matriarch for many years. Her soft-spoken demeanor came across regardless of the issue.

Democratic Orange County Elections Commissioner Susan Bahren was saddened by O’Dwyer’s death.

“I have known Pat for well over 25 years and she and her husband, Paul, were great Democrats, not only in New York State, but in Orange County as well, and we are saddened to know that she has passed,” Bahren said.

Sheriff Carl DuBois, a Republican, said back in 2002, O’Dwyer was his opponent’s campaign manager. “The campaign was clean and respectful,” DuBois remembered. “Despite being political adversaries, we became great friends. That friendship endured for 16 years.”

O’Dwyer lived in the Town of Goshen for years and served as town supervisor. When her husband because severely ill, she resigned from public office to take care of him.

Paul O’Dwyer had played a major role in New York City politics for years and his wife continued his legacy from Orange County to Washington, maintaining her contacts with Democrat leaders in Washington.