Friends and colleagues of Patricia Mau-Shimizu are mourning her recent death. She was the executive director of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Mau-Shimizu was 70.

“Pat was truly one-of-a-kind,” said Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald in a statement. “She was a widely-respected leader who used her vast knowledge of state government and countless friendships to bring people together for the common good.”

Recktenwald credited Mau-Shimizu with recently organizing volunteer legal assistance hotlines to support people on Maui impacted by the wildfires last month, as well as for a drive to collect food and other donations from attorneys.

“She was a trusted mentor and friend to many people across the state, all of whom benefited from the wisdom that came with her years of experience at the state Capitol and at HSBA,” he said.

A press release from the HSBA called Mau-Shimizu’s passing unexpected, “but we all benefited from her wisdom and generous spirit. Our sincerest condolences to her daughter Melissa Shimizu, her parents Herbert Gahn Ki Mau and Leilani Yuen Mau, and her brother Marvin Mau.”

Mau-Shimizu joined the HSBA as its executive director in December 2011. Before that, she was with the Hawaii House of Representatives for almost three decades and served as its chief clerk from 1993.

She is remembered as a tireless worker. About her work at the Legislature, she is reported to have told a Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter that her office would stay until 3 a.m. to meet midnight deadlines.

At the bar, Mau-Shimizu’s work included organizing and supporting judicial evaluations and creating the Hawaii State Bar Foundation, which supports organizations such as Legal Aid and other legal support programs.