CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former longtime member of the West Virginia Senate died Sunday.
Former McDowell County Senator John Pat Fanning was 89.
Fanning, a Democrat, had been in failing health for several months.
He served in the Senate for more than 30 years over three different periods. He was first appointed in June 1968. He served until 1980. He was reelected in1984 and served one term until 1988. Fanning’s third stint in the Senate was his longest. He served from 1996-2012, when he retired.
Fanning operated three funeral homes in McDowell County.
According to his family, Fanning died Sunday in his sleep at a physical rehabilitation facility in Charleston.