Former St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister died this morning at the age of 73, three weeks after leaving office.
Parish President Mike Cooper issued a statement calling her “a woman of vision, drive and commitment.”
Brister served for eight years as Parish President and eight years as a St. Tammany Parish councilor.
She was a longtime Republican and was National Committee Woman to the Republican National Committee, and served as Chair of the Louisiana Republican Party.
She was also a former ambassador to the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women under former U.S. President George W. Bush.
Brister is survived by her daughter Jill Beck Heebe (Clark) and sons Matt Beck, Mark Beck and Ken Brister.
Arrangements for a public memorial service will be announced in the coming days, according to a statement by the family.