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Tributes continued to roll in Thursday for former three-term state legislator Jean B. Cryor, who died earlier this week.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis remembered Cryor, who was 70, as "an outstanding legislator and an even better person."

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said Cryor's absence will be felt in many communities. Most recently, Cryor, who died of cancer Tuesday night, was a member of the Montgomery County Planning Board.

"We mourn her loss and extend our deepest condolences to her family, her friends, and her colleagues on the Planning Board," Leggett said.

Cryor, a Republican from Potomac, was appointed to the Planning Board in June 2007 after she was defeated in 2006 for a fourth term representing District 15 in the House of Delegates. The lone Republican in the county's delegation, Cryor lost by 152 votes to political newcomer Craig Rice, a Democrat from Germantown.

On the Montgomery Planning Board, she was known for her quick wit, sharp questioning and interest in a range of topics.

"Jean brought us insight, compassion, humor and great good judgment to the decisions we make," Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson said in a statement Tuesday.

Montgomery County Council President Philip M. Andrews said Cryor had a way of making people feel at ease.

"She was very independent, very clear about what she thought and very warm and engaging," said Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg.

Brian J. Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac, who was Cryor's colleague for four years, called the former legislator pragmatic and principled, "but at times she would go against her party."

"I think we absolutely could use more people like her and fewer ideologues who don't have civility during a public debate," said the Montgomery County House delegation chairman.

Before entering politics, Cryor was an editor and publisher at The Gazette.

She was the only Republican to have been elected president of the Women Legislators of Maryland.

Kathleen M. Dumais (D-Dist. 15) of Rockville shared an office in Annapolis with Cryor from 2002 to 2006. She remembered her as a "terrific mentor" who taught her to "listen to both sides and not compromise your heart and your principles."

Cryor pushed hard for school funding and an earned income tax credit for low-income individuals, said state Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) of Germantown.

"When she took the floor, everyone listened — Republican and Democrat," he said.

Cryor was born in Lansdowne, Pa., and raised in suburban Philadelphia, where she had been a reporter for The Philadelphia Bulletin. 

She was the widow of Dan Cryor, a broadcast news reporter.

She is survived by her three daughters, Allison Cryor DiNardo of Alexandria, Va., Jennifer Cryor Baldwin of North Potomac and Deirdre Cryor of Denver, and three grandchildren.

Staff Writers Sebastian Montes, Susan Singer-Bart, Melissa A. Chadwick, Melissa Brachfeld and Sean R. Sedam contributed to this report.