CASS COUNTY TREASURER LINDA PRUETT HAS LOST HER BATTLE WITH CANCER

By DEBRA HAIGHT

BCR Correspondent

CASSOPOLIS – Another area governmental leader has passed away. Less than two months after the death of Berrien County Register of Deeds Lori Jarvis, Cass County Treasurer Linda Pruett has lost her battle with cancer.

Cass County governmental offices were in mourning Monday as employees learned of the death of County Treasurer Linda Pruett over the weekend. Pruett was appointed county treasurer in 2002 and most recently was re-elected to a new four year term in 2016.

Pruett died Sunday evening of complications from an infection after surgery. She had been diagnosed with cancer less than a month ago.

“It’s awful, life can change in a blink of an eye,” County Clerk Monica Kennedy said Monday afternoon. “It was a rough day. It has definitely rocked the whole office and the whole county. There have been a lot of tears today. No one got the chance to say goodbye.”

Kennedy said county commissioners came to the office Monday morning to mourn with the staff. Former chaplain Bill Bruneau was also on hand to counsel people in their loss.

She said a committee made up of herself, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz and Cass County Probate Judge Susan Dobrich will meet in coming weeks to set up the procedure for finding Pruett’s replacement. Whoever is appointed will serve until the 2020 elections.

She said Pruett served in the Cass County Probate Court before being appointed and then elected to the treasurer’s post. Pruett was also active in the Michigan Association of County Treasurers organization.

She called Pruett a good friend who would always be there to help out. “She would give you the shirt off her back,” Kennedy said. “She was the most loving, giving person. She treated everybody like family. She would give gifts to my children when they were sick. She was always willing to step in and help out.”

Tributes to Pruett also came in from U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, State Sen. John Proos and Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski.

“This is a truly tragic loss,” Upton said in a statement. “Linda was a no-nonsense public servant who always had her constituent’s concerns number one. She ran a tight ship and was respected in so many ways by all who encountered her. We will greatly miss her sense of humor and dedication to our community. Amey and I are including her family in our prayers.”

“It’s a sad day for Cass County & Southwest Michigan as we mourn the loss of Linda Pruett,” Proos said. “Linda was a tireless public servant, and a frequent volunteer for many community organizations. She was a straight shooter and will be missed. My prayers are with Linda’s family.”

Witkowski called Pruett “a great county treasurer.” “She cared about Cass county first and foremost, she cared about taking care of residents of Cass County,” he said. “Cass was her home and she was passionate about it.  She was also very respected and loved in the Michigan Association of County Treasurers.”

“I count myself as one of the fortunate ones who got to know Linda, and we usually talked about once a month on different issues.  My heart goes out to her family for they have lost someone they love and to the residents of Cass County because they lost someone who loved them.”