(Alta)– State Representative Mary Lou Freeman of Alta has passed away. She was 64.
Deputies with the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office found Freeman’s body at her home Tuesday night.
Freeman had been battling breast cancer over the past year or so and had been undergoing chemotherapy.
Mary Lou has had extensive experience in the Iowa Legislature, having served two terms previously in the Senate from 1994 to 2002 when she was first elected to the House. She was seeking her third term.
Freeman served as chair of the House Veteran’s Affairs Committee. She also served on the Commerce, Regulation and Labor Committee, the Human Resources and Natural Resources Committees and on the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.
A statement issued by House Speaker Christopher Rants says “the entire legislature is shocked and deeply saddened by Mary Lou’s sudden departure”.
