Former Indiana first lady Susan Bayh dies at 61 after long battle with brain cancer

Susan Bayh, the wife of former Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh, died on Friday after a prolonged battle with brain cancer. She was 61 years old.

The death of the former first lady of Indiana was announced in a statement issued by her family on Evan Bayh's Twitter page.

"Susan was a model of courage and resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity," the statement said. "Throughout her 2-year, eight-month battle with cancer, she never once complained or expressed self-pity. Despite a multitude of hardships, she continued to display her exuberances, happiness, and love for others. Her fortitude was truly unbelievable and example for us all ...

"Susan’s passing leaves the world a darker place, but Heaven has gained a shining star and the firmament will be the brighter for her presence there. We will love and miss her always."

A memorial service will be held when conditions allow, the statement said. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Bayh Family Scholarship through the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. The family also posted a tribute video on YouTube.

Hoosiers remember: The life of Susan Bayh

Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb said in a statement that he and his wife, Janet, were saddened by the news of Bayh's death.

"She was an extraordinary and radiant public servant, wife, mother and friend, who leaves a remarkable impact on our state and nation," the governor said. "I ask all Hoosiers to join us in praying and being there for the Bayh family."

Bayh underwent surgery in 2018 to remove a malignant glioblastoma tumor in her brain, at the time receiving strong support from the Indiana Democratic establishment and the family of John McCain, who succumbed to the same kind of cancer later that year.

Susan Bayh's early life

She was a California native and a former Miss Southern California. She graduated from the University of California-Berkeley and later the University of Southern California's law school.

She met Evan Bayh in Washington, D.C., while interning for a California congressman. Evan Bayh, who was in law school at the time, was interning at a law firm in Washington.

The Bayhs were married April 13, 1985. Susan Bayh worked as an attorney for Barnes & Thornburg.

Around that time, Evan Bayh burst into the political spotlight was he was elected Indiana's secretary of state, an office he held from December 1986 to January 1989.

He parlayed that into two terms as Indiana's governor, becoming the first Democrat to hold that office since 1969.

The Bayhs had name recognition on their side. Evan Bayh's father, Birch Bayh, who died in 2019, served in the U.S. Senate from 1962-1980.

Indiana's first family, growing up before our eyes

Susan Bayh juggled multiple roles during her tenure as first lady from 1989 to 1997, working at Eli Lilly and serving as a distinguished visiting professor at Butler University.

But the Bayh family perhaps was most known for making modern Indiana history, becoming the first family to become parents while living in the governor's residence since 1830. Twins Nick and Beau were born in 1995, growing up before the eyes of Hoosiers.

Susan Bayh did a weekly parenting segment for an Indianapolis TV station. She told The Indianapolis Star in 2004 that the part-time work allowed her to spend time with the twins while fulfilling the role of first lady.

"I did what women have been doing for years. I juggled. I balanced," she told the Star in 2004. "I think the role of first lady is what you make it, and Indiana is a place that respects whatever you decide is best for yourself and your family."

Following his terms as governor, Evan Bayh represented Indiana in the Senate until retiring in 2011. He failed to win a new term in 2016, losing to Republican Todd Young.

The twins both graduated with bachelor's degrees from Harvard. Beau Bayh enlisted in the Marines and is pursuing a law degree at Harvard. Nick Bayh enlisted in the Army and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Harvard. They're 24 now.

Susan Bayh was active in the private sector, serving on more than a dozen corporate boards for insurance, pharmaceutical and food processing companies. She also served on an international commission that monitors boundary matters between Canada and the United States.

She was the commissioner of the International Joint Commission of the Water Treaty Act between the U.S. and Canada, a group that oversaw compliance with environmental and water treaties along the Canadian border.

Bayh previously had a benign brain tumor removed in 2015, after she experienced migraines and doctors discovered a large mass on her brain. She had been experiencing migraines for about two and a half weeks.

Follow Amelia Pak-Harvey on Twitter @AmeliaPakHarvey.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Susan Bayh, former Indiana first lady, dies at 61 from brain cancer