Fountain Hills remembers one of its civic icons with the passing of its first woman mayor, Sharon Morgan, over the weekend.

Morgan served two terms as mayor for the town from 1998 to 2002. She has also served as the long-time events coordinator for the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, overseeing more than 50 of the major arts and crafts fairs that draw hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors twice each year. Morgan has said that by her own estimation, approximately 8 million people have been introduced to Fountain Hills by visiting the fairs.

She is also remembered as the mayor at the time acquisition of McDowell Mountain land for the Fountain Hills Preserve was completed. She helped manage rapid development in the community and spearheaded the development of the Community Center and library/museum within the Cutillo Plaza.

The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, for which Sharon spent many years as an employee, issued a statement Monday morning.

“Sharon’s dedication to our community and her love for Fountain Hills will be her legacy. Our community has suffered a great loss today and we know Sharon will be greatly missed.”

Additional information will be in The Times Dec. 18 and Dec. 25. Services are pending, but planned for early January.