Longtime Sen. Linda Scheid has died

By PAUL LEVY and BOB VON STERNBERG

State Sen. Linda Scheid said recently that she never intended to "march to my own beat." All she wanted, she said, "was to reach out."

Scheid, 68, who lost her six-year battle with ovarian cancer on Wednesday , was an advocate for vulnerable adults, read to children nestled in her lap at Brooklyn Park rec centers and, last month, helped cut through partisan gridlock to help pass the Surly Beer bill she authored.

"For the most part, what I did was rewarding, certainly more rewarding than not," Scheid, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said earlier this month from her home, where she had been in hospice care.

"I'd like to see the [legislative] process improve, my goodness, yes. But when I think of some of the things we accomplished the last 30 years, all I can say is 'wow.'"

That sentiment was echoed by many, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who called Scheid "a mentor," and recalled how Scheid served as co-chair in the northern suburbs during Klobuchar's initial campaign for Hennepin County attorney.

"She clearly has this spiritual way of looking at things," Klobuchar said from Washington, D.C. "She came into politics when very few women held office, represented an area with all kinds of people in it and was able to reach everyone, regardless of politics."

But when word of Scheid entering hospice care was released this month, legislators and staff members at the Capitol were thunderstruck. Many immediately posted their thoughts to her CaringBridge website, men and women, DFLers and Republicans alike.

"I was blessed to be able to work with you in the Senate," wrote David Knutson, a former GOP senator from Burnsville. "Your independence, common sense, consistent kindness and sense of justice define your tenure in the legislature. Your hard work passing bills and chairing committees never got in the way of having a personal relationship with other members including me."

Scheid's legislative career began in 1976 when she was elected to the Minnesota House, representing Brooklyn Center; she moved on to the Senate a decade later, most recently being re-elected in 2010.

In 2005, Scheid was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she and had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments on and off since then. Early last month, her staff said her treatment had become ineffective and, in consultation with her doctors and family, she decided to stop it.

Scheid received her bachelor's degree at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She later got a law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul.

She went public with her ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2007 in the midst of a debate over a health-care bill that would have set limits on some treatment options. In testimony recorded by Minnesota Public Radio, she said: "I'm going to be personal about it. … To be really candid with you, I don't know if I have a few years to wait until you get the health-care costs contained.

"I don't mean to be overly dramatic about it," she went on. "I have no timeline on my health issues, but I do have recurring ovarian cancer. It's not curable. It means I'll be receiving chemotherapy therapy now until forever — 15 or 20 years sounds good to me.

"I'm sorry I'm taking it personally because I'm kind of in that position, not of my own choosing, but I think I'm probably speaking for a lot of other people out there."

In the days following her decision to enter hospice, Scheid was asked what she had accomplished in more than 30 years of public service.