Paula Nowakowski, John Boehner's Chief Of Staff Dead At 46

John Boehner's Chief Of Staff Dies At 46


Paula Nowakowski, the longtime Chief of Staff to House Republican Leader John Boehner, died suddenly Saturday night, according to the leader's office. She was 46.

"It is with profound sadness and shock that I announce the passing of Paula Nowakowski, my longtime chief of staff, trusted aide and friend, who died suddenly last night," Boehner said in a statement early Sunday afternoon. "Words cannot adequately express the sorrow and disbelief I and every member of our team are grappling with today in the wake of this stunning news."

A Boehner aide said the cause was an apparent heart attack.

President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) were among those who called Boehner Sunday to offer their condolences on Nowakoski's death.

"The entire Capitol Hill community is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Paula Nowakowski,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As Chief of Staff to Republican Leader John Boehner, Paula earned the respect not only of her Leadership and Conference, but all House Members on both sides of the aisle. She served Leader Boehner both in his current position as well as previously at the Committee on Education and the Workforce with great distinction.

“Paula was a thorough professional who loved the House and worked in a constructive and bipartisan fashion to implement policies to help the Congress function efficiently. On behalf of the entire House, I express our deep sadness to Paula's family, friends and our colleague, Leader John Boehner.”

"Paula had some of the finest qualities a public servant can have: she was committed to advancing the cause of freedom, she cared deeply about the people she served, and she was a patriot,” said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY.).

"On behalf of her senate colleagues, I pass on my condolences to her family, Leader Boehner and his staff, and the whole House family for this tragic loss of our friend."

It would be hard to overstate Nowakowski's role in Boehner's tight-knit office. She has worked for the Ohio Republican almost continuously since 1995, when she joined his staff as communications director for the Republican Conference.

In the years since, she has worked as staff director for the Education and Labor Committee and served as his chief of staff since he returned to the leadership in early 2006. She briefly left Boehner's side in 1998 after he lost the conference post following a tough election for Republicans but rejoined him in 2001 when he assumed the chairmanship of the Education and Labor Committee.

Along the way, she counseled Boehner on just about every decision he made and often served as an enforcer of sorts for the collegial Republican leader. It would be hard to find any chief of staff on Capitol Hill who maintained a closer relationship with her boss than the one she shared with Boehner.

Aides said Sunday that Boehner's office and extended network of former colleagues, known to many as "Boehner-land," were collectively shocked by the news.

"We will remember Paula as she would want to be remembered — as a tireless worker, faithful friend, rabid Detroit sports fan, whip-smart strategist, warrior for freedom and devoted Catholic who counted President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II among her greatest heroes. She will never be replaced or forgotten," Boehner said. "I ask for your prayers for Paula's family."



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Sources: Politico, LIFE, Google Maps