Former Kentucky state Sen. C.B. Embry Jr. dies after long battle with cancer

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — C.B. Embry Jr., who recently stepped down from the Kentucky Senate due to a long battle with cancer, has died at age 81, a funeral director said Friday.

Embry died Thursday night, said Charlotte Martin, director of Smith Funeral Home in Morgantown.

Embry, a Morgantown Republican, announced his retirement earlier this year due to cancer but traveled while undergoing treatment to Frankfort during the legislative session so he could cast votes and uphold his duty to his constituents.

Embry formally submitted his resignation letter Monday to Senate President Robert Stivers.

Embry was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and served on several committees, including his most recent position as chair of the Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee. He previously served in the House.

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He proposed the 2015 version of the "Kentucky Student Privacy Act" in response to a 2014 controversy at Louisville's Atherton High School in which the principal allowed a transgender student who was born male but identifies as a female to use the girls' bathrooms and locker room. That bill ultimately did not pass.

“C.B. Embry was a true gentleman and the consummate public servant, taking the duty and responsibility to represent the people until the very end,” Stivers said in a statement Friday.

Funeral arrangements are pending, Martin said.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former Republican Senator from Morgantown C.B. Embry Jr. dies at 81