Mary Daugherty Abrams, former state senator from Meriden, dies from brain cancer

CT Insider – Thursday, January 2, 2025
By Ken Dixon

HARTFORD — Mary Daugherty Abrams, a special education teacher and school administrator from Meriden who served a single term in the state Senate, has died, her husband James Abrams announced on social media Thursday.

James Abrams, himself a former member of the state House of Representatives and currently a senior Superior Court judge, said that his wife died after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, a virulent form of brain cancer similar to the disease that killed the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2009. Further details were unavailable on Thursday.

Daughtery Abrams served as the co-chairwoman of the legislative Public Health Committee at the height of the national reaction to Black Lives Matter movement after the fatal beating of George Floyd by Minneapolis police offices in 2020. In 2021, Daughtery Abrams led the Senate’s effort to successfully pass the state law declaring racism to be a public health crisis. She opted against running in 2022 as she battled her illness.

“Throughout the past year, as we’ve met the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve identified areas in physical, mental and behavioral health that need to be addressed,” Daugherty Abrams said during a three-and-a-half hour Senate debate in May of 2021. The bill passed 30-5 and was approved in the House a few days later. Among other things, the law established a Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health.

In a joint statement Thursday afternoon, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, praised Daughtery Abrams. The Senate district includes Cheshire, Meriden, Middletown and Middlefield.

“Mary was a tireless advocate, a dedicated public servant, and a compassionate leader whose work profoundly touched the lives of so many across Connecticut, Looney and Duff wrote. “She was wise, kind, generous, and principled, with a lively intelligence and ready wit, always willing to take on the challenge at hand without drama or posturing. Her passion for education, health care, and the well-being of our communities defined her time in the State Senate. On behalf of the Senate Democratic Caucus, we extend our deepest condolences to her husband, Jim, two children, Nick and Madeline, four grandchildren, friends, and all who are mourning this profoundly painful loss. We cherished our friend Mary and will always miss her.”

Lieutenant Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, in a Thursday afternoon interview recalled that during Daughtery Abrams’ term, the lawmaker had an extended illness, but upon her return to the Senate, there was thunderous applause.

“Our state has lost a treasured public servant and beloved colleague,” Bysiewicz said. “She was my state senator and in the Senate she was a favorite of everyone’s because she was so compassionate, empathetic, kind and always had a positive attitude. She was very concerned about disparities in health care.”

“She was a ball of sunshine and a real force for good. She was tough, but joyful – a happy warrior,” said Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown. “The Senate was at its very best with her around, and I will miss her greatly.”

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