Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle’s daughter, 38, dies from cancer

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle’s office announced Tuesday her daughter, Julia Marie Scott, has died.

Scott, a physician at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka, had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2016. She was 38.

The death comes at an extraordinary time for Wagle, the Wichita Republican who is leading the Senate as lawmakers attempt to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by passing a budget and other emergency legislation. She presided over Monday’s Senate session but was absent Tuesday.

Wagle is also running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

“Julia was an incredibly caring and compassionate soul who was loved by all who knew her, and her deep faith and prayers from around her community carried her through her fight with cancer,” Wagle’s office said in a statement. “This same faith will likewise carry our family through this difficult time, because we know she is at peace and without pain with our God in Heaven.”

Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine, an Emporia Republican, announced Scott’s death on the Senate floor. Senators observed a moment of silence before returning to a debate over the state budget.

Scott was married to Riley Scott, a well-known statehouse lobbyist for Evergy, Dillons and other organizations. She had four children and six siblings.

Wagle, as well as her sons, Paul and John, have all had cancer.

In 2016, Wagle said she thought the multiple cancers may be related to an incident in the 1980s when her family’s home was improperly sprayed with pesticide by an exterminator. Her home was declared a toxic waste site by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

The Star’s Nicole Asbury contributed reporting

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 1:01 PM.