ALTAMONT — Village flags were at half-staff on Saturday because Trustee Christine Marshall had died.

“She brought a talent for even-handedness and even-temperedness to the board; her career in Civil Service gave her special skills in the byzantine world of policy,” said Mayor James Gaughan.

Ms. Marshall died on April 16, 2016 in the loving arms of her spouse, Deb Hext, at St. Peter's Community Hospice after a relatively brief but intense struggle with lymphoma.

She died in office, having served on the village board since 2007, according to Mayor Gaughan. “She always listened very carefully and sought the best balance,” the mayor said. “She weighed decisions for the good of the entire community. She was a woman of great reason. Despite the rationality, her personality was of great humanness. She loved people.”

Ms. Marshall had for years, Mayor Gaughan said, been part of a small band of activists that held anti-war vigils in the village park. “There was a peacefulness about her,” he said.

Christine Marshall was born in 1947 to loving parents, John and Helen (née Marszalek) Skorupa, in Buffalo. Graduating from Mount Saint Joseph Academy, and the State University of New York College at Fredonia, she received a master’s degree in political science from SUNY Binghamton, prior to 35 years of dedicated public service, most of them in the New York Department of Civil Service.

“Chris was the beloved spouse of Deb Hext; they were soulmates sharing life and love for 35 years,” her family wrote in a tribute.

“She was very loving, very giving,” said Ms. Hext. “She definitely gave much more than she got back. She would do anything for anyone at a moment’s notice.”

The same rational calm the mayor noted in Ms. Marshall’s public life she also had in her private life, said her spouse. “One time, we were driving back from Florida in this huge traffic jam,” recalled Ms. Hext, who said she herself was becoming frayed. “Chris said, ‘Let’s relax and play music.’”

Ms. Marshall had many diverse long-time interests, including politics, tennis, golf, and vacationing with the people she loved. She enjoyed her faithful West Highland terrier companion, Dooley.

“Chris was Dooley’s number-one mom,” said Ms. Hext. “When we had to have a hospital bed at the house, he crawled under the bed every night and slept there until they took the bed away.”

St. Peter’s Hospice allows pets, Ms. Hext said, so she brought Dooley to the hospital to be with Ms. Marshall. “She wasn’t obviously conscious at the end, but he curled up on her tummy and it brought them both comfort,” said Ms. Hext.

After retiring from her job, Ms. Marshall pursued her lifelong political avocation, participating as a Guilderland Democratic committeewoman in addition to serving as a village trustee.

William Aylward, a former longtime Altamont trustee as well as a former mayor and town supervisor, said he talked to Ms. Marshall before she joined the village board. “I told her it was very challenging, very meaningful work,” he recalled. She rose to the occasion. “She was a very conscientious board member; she was very constructive,” he said.

He described her personality as “very charming” and said, “We were both Red Sox fans.”

Mr. Aylward also said Ms. Marshall was helpful in his third run for the Albany County Legislature, which was successful, in part, because of her “setting up schedules and organizing events.”

“I trusted her as a true friend,” he said.

“Chris poured her heart and soul into everything she did,” her family wrote. “Whether in her career, her public service, her friendships, or her family relationships, she uniformly and generously gave far more than she received.”

“In the midst of the fray or craziness, she kept me level-headed,” said Mayor Gaughan. “She was a good metric for me to maintain balance.”

He concluded, “She was an unsung person but she had a strong effect on a large number of people.”

“In 35 years, the only time she made my life difficult is by leaving me — and that wasn’t her choice,” said Ms. Hext. She concluded through tears, “I was born again when I met her and part of me died with her. I’ll never be the same.”

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Christine C. Marshall is survived by her spouse, Deb Hext; her brother, Tom Skorupa, and his wife, Jan Voshart, and her niece Tara Skorupa; her sister-in-law Carol Premo and her husband, Roger; her niece, Trista her nephew, Jason; her grandnieces and grandnephews, Justin, Brittney, Kassidy, Anna, and Ethan; and countless devoted and well-loved friends, too many to mention.

The family extends special thanks to the professional and caring nurses, physicians, and staff at St. Peter's Hospital and Community Hospice.

Mourners may visit on Tuesday, April 19, from 4 to 7 p.m., at St. Lucy/St. Bernadette Church at 109 Grand Street in Altamont. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, April 20, at 10 a.m., followed by a reception at 11 a.m..

Memorial contributions may be made to North Atlantic Westie Rescue,15 School St., Bridgewater, Massachusetts, 02324, care of Karen Errichetti, online at http://www.northatlanticwestierescue.org/donations/; to St. Peter's Community Hospice Foundation, 310 South Manning Blvd., Albany, NY 12208, online at http://www.sphcs.org/GivingtoStPeters; or to St. Lucy/St. Bernadette Church, 109 Grand Street, Altamont, NY 12009.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer