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Former Pahrump town board and Pahrump Regional Planning Commission member Ed Bishop died at his home Wednesday. He was 57.

A memorial is being planned for the Bob Ruud Community Center.

Bishop won election to the Pahrump Town Board in November 1998, collecting 3,511 votes, number one in a field of five candidates. He was named chairman but resigned in October 2000.

Bishop was appointed by former Gov. Kenny Guinn to a vacancy on the Pahrump Town Board in May 2004 and won election in November 2004 with 5,897 votes, again finishing as the top vote getter. But he submitted his resignation April 11, 2006, after a prolonged illness.

Bishop also served as the town board liaison to the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission and was just elected to the Pahrump Senior Center Board of Trustees in February.

Many Pahrump residents remember the elaborate Halloween decorations at the Bishop home several years ago.

Paul Willis, a former Nye County Republican Party chairman who knew Bishop as a fellow town board member and friend, said, "Ed didn't get into politics for his own gain but to make the community better.

"People of small means stepping into community service donate their time and money to work for the betterment of all. Ed wasn't really a politician, he was a statesman. He was from the people he represented and he never lost sight of that."

Willis said Bishop was one of the first members of the RPC and tried to keep government in check.

"He never said no. It was not in his vocabulary," Willis said. "He is a good friend and I love him dearly. he never ducked the issue, he would take everything head on. But he paid a price. It affected his health."

Nye County Commissioner Gary Hollis remembered serving with Bishop on the Pahrump Town Board.

"He was one of my best board members that I've ever served with. He did his homework, he voted his conscience, and he always had Pahrump in his heart. That's what I'll remember Ed Bishop for, and he was a good friend," Hollis said. "Even with the pain he had, he was out there in the community, supporting the seniors, supporting organizations."

Nye County Republican Party Chairman Fely Quitevis remembered all of Bishop's work on behalf of the Grand Old Party.

"He was a good, dedicated Republican, a good friend," Quitevis said. "He will be missed by all his friends. I will miss him."

Longtime Pahrump town employee Cookie Westphal said, "Ed was very concerned about the community. He loved his wife, his grandchildren and his dogs."

Pahrump Senior Center Director Jim Gronemann said he spoke to Bishop the day he died about a special board meeting Saturday.

"That's what I admired about him, he kept on pushing. He wouldn't let anything slow him down," Gronemann said.

Gronemann said Bishop brought his knowledge of town government to the senior center board.