WINCHESTER — City Council member Judy McKiernan died unexpectedly late Monday night after reportedly suffering a heart attack at her home. She was 58.

“Judy was a friend to many, a dedicated team member, an advocate for the underserved and a true public servant,” Winchester Mayor David Smith said in a media release issued Tuesday by Rouss City Hall. “As a representative on council, she was a community champion, often going above and beyond to ensure residents have a voice in their local government. She made an incredible impact on our city.”

McKiernan, a Democrat, was elected to a Ward 4 seat on the nine-member City Council on Nov. 6, 2018. She also served on council’s Finance Committee.

McKiernan’s day job was serving as director of student services for Winchester Public Schools. She worked for the school system for 31 years.

“Judy was a force,” schools Superintendent Jason Van Heukelum said on Tuesday. “Her deep commitment to inclusion and her keen ability to discern human need is unmatched. Her legacy should inspire all of us to renew our commitment to be better humans — better neighbors, co-workers, spouses, friends, parents.”

“The span of Judy’s reach is immeasurable and will manifest in the lives of so many for generations to come,” Winchester School Board Chairwoman Marie Imoh added in a social media post.

Van Heukelum said McKiernan worked closely with school nurses, counselors and social workers, but was known and respected by nearly every employee in the school system.

“The Winchester Public Schools community is hurting today, but we are resolved to embrace Judy’s legacy,” Van Heukelum said. “Judy inspired us all to do whatever it takes by her daily example. She is loved and adored and will be deeply missed.”

Just hours before her death on Monday, McKiernan wrote a memo that was distributed to the parents of Winchester Public Schools students regarding two COVID-19 cases at Handley High School. That memo was emailed to system employees Tuesday morning after they had been informed of McKiernan’s passing.

McKiernan’s husband, Mike McKiernan, is a history teacher and the track and field coach at Handley. That’s why Handley’s staff was the first to be told McKiernan’s death during a special faculty meeting shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Van Heukelum said an email was then sent to all system employees, and arrangements were made so workers at all city schools could gather on Tuesday afternoon to mourn their coworker.

Mike McKiernan has had his own heart-related health issues. In July 2008, he was the recipient of a heart transplant.

The couple originally lived in Mike McKiernan’s hometown of Strasburg but moved to Winchester in 1987 because it’s where they wanted to raise their daughter and son.

“I love this city,” Judy McKiernan wrote in a July 2018 letter to The Winchester Star when she was running for City Council.

She won that election — her first as a political candidate — by a mere three votes, defeating Republican opponent Debera Taylor 1,111-1,108 in a race to fill the seat vacated by Republican Councilor Kevin McKannan.

City Manager Dan Hoffman said on Tuesday that City Council has 30 days to appoint someone to fill McKiernan’s Ward 4 seat. That person will serve until the end of 2022.

Since McKiernan’s four-year term will expire at the end of next year, Hoffman said there will be no need to hold a special election. Instead, whoever wins the Ward 4 seat in the Nov. 8 general election will start a new four-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

“There are few people in this world who were as strong and cared as much about others as Judy McKiernan,” Lauren Cummings, executive director of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, said on social media. “She dedicated her life to helping others who were lost, left behind and less fortunate.”

“Her passion for serving others and improving the quality of life for all residents will not be forgotten,” Smith said. “Our deepest condolences go to the McKiernan family and all those who were blessed to know her.”

No services for McKiernan had been announced as of Tuesday evening.