BUFFALO, N.Y. -- She wasn't necessarily a household name but in Erie County politics, Camille Brandon was an influential figure for decades.

Brandon passed away suddenly Monday morning. She had most recently worked as the Western New York office director for O'Donnell and Associates lobbying firm.

"It was such a shock to lose Camille. Right up until the end, she was going to events, she was meeting people, talking to folks. She was always the first one there and the last one to leave," managing partner Jack O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell worked with Brandon professionally for about 15 years, and on campaigns going back roughly 30 years.

"The best thing about Camille was how she dealt with people," he said. "There was nobody that knew Camille that didn't like her. She was full of life. She had a smile that lit up a room. She really had a way of reading people and making them feel good about themselves."

In 2014, Brandon ran in a Democratic primary for the 143rd state Assembly seat and as the Working Families Party candidate in the general election. However, O'Donnell said she was often more comfortable behind the scenes working to help others get elected.

Among them was now-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, who said Brandon was part of a small group who helped introduce him to Western New York and knock on doors 25 years ago when he first ran for the seat. Schumer held a moment of silence for her at the beginning of his Monday press conference.

"Camille was a great lady, a friendly lady. When there was an important job to do, she did it and when there was grunt work to do she did it. She did everything and she did it with a smile and with determination and beauty and so we'll miss Camille," Schumer said.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of Brandon's impact is the outpouring of support and condolences from influential figures including state Sen. Tim Kennedy, Assemblywoman Monica Wallace and even Erie County Republican Committee Chair Michael Kracker. She served as Deputy Erie County clerk to Democrat Kathy Hochul, who is now governor of New York, and Republican Chris Jacobs, who went on to Congress.

Brandon also worked in former Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski's administration, served three times as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and as a long-time Democratic state committee person.

"Democrats, Republicans, everyone in between, they knew Camille, they respected her and most of them loved her," O'Donnell said.

He said her passing leaves a void in local politics, but more importantly, Western New York has lost a powerful voice.

"Projects as diverse as the new AKG (Albright-Knox-Gundlach Art Gallery) or the Strong Museum in Rochester which just had a huge expansion, to the Buffalo Zoo to new splash pads in Cheektowaga. All of those things have her fingerprints on them and wouldn't have happened without her," he said.

O'Donnell said it's also important to recognize Brandon as a trailblazer for women in politics. He noted, when she began to get involved, there weren't many women and many of those who came after looked to her as a role model.

Her colleagues said she also played an integral part in legislation creating the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission.