Patricia L. Archer, a Palm Beach County ethics vice mayor and the former vice mayor of Delray Beach, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 after a brief illness. She was 70.

Archer, of Delray Beach, was appointed to the ethics commission by the county’s League of Cities in 2012 to fill the seat of Edward Rodgers, a retired circuit judge and former Riviera Beach councilman. She served as the ethic commission’s vice chair and was expected to be reappointed to another four-year term on the board Wednesday, officials said. Archer previously served as a Delray Beach City Commissioner from 1999 to 2006.

Ethics commission administrators on Tuesday praised her work on the five-member board, saying her experience as a Delray Beach commissioner gave her a unique perspective when dealing with the ethical questions and complaints presented to the board.

“It certainly will be a great loss,” said Steven Cullen, the ethics commission’s executive director. “She was very sensible and very decisive. Anytime she ran a meeting, she was clear and professional.”

Archer had called the commission on Friday to say that she was dealing with a very serious illness and needed to resign her seat. She asked Intake Manager Gina Levesque to write a resignation letter on her behalf.

“Ms. Archer’s illness will require extended treatment and recovery, and she is unsure if her ability to perform the duties of her position will return,” Levesque wrote in the letter to commissioners.

Archer, a retired real estate and mortgage broker, was a Graduate of Katherine Gibbs School in New York. She attended Hunter College in New York.

In addition to her time on the ethics board and city commission, Archer served on a number of other committees and worked with several non-profit groups, including the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce and AVDA, which provides aid to victims of domestic abuse.

Cullen said the ethics commission plans to honor Archer at a future meeting. The League of Cities is expected to appoint someone to fill Archer’s seat in the coming weeks, he said.

There will be a Memorial service held at Unity Church of Delray Beach at 101 NW 22nd Street in Delray Beach at 4:00PM on Thursday, January 23. The family requests that donations be made in lieu of flowers in her memory to AVDA at PO Box 6161, Delray Beach, FL 33482, 561-265-3797.