WASILLA -- Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Curt Menard, a political and social presence in the Valley for more than 30 years, died Tuesday of cancer.

Menard, 64, was diagnosed in 2003 with multiple myeloma, a relatively rare disease characterized by malignant plasma cells in the blood. He was undergoing his fifth round of chemotherapy when he died early Tuesday at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center near Wasilla, his son Steve Menard said.

Menard was a former legislator, and Gov. Sarah Palin, a family friend, ordered state flags flown at half staff on Saturday in his honor. She described him in a written statement as an "amazing and compassionate man" who will be deeply missed.

The family has received condolences from around the state, including from Sen. Mark Begich and Rep. Don Young.

In Palmer, Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler stopped proceedings during a murder trial for a minute of remembrance and the borough canceled an Assembly meeting scheduled for Tuesday out of respect for Menard.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m Saturday at Wasilla High School.

Deputy Mayor Lynne Wood will temporarily assume Menard's duties.

Menard, husband of Sen. Linda Menard, was elected borough mayor in 2006. Before that, he served from 1986 to 1994 in both the state House and Senate, where he was known for his bipartisan style. He switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat while in office.

On Monday, Linda Menard spoke of her husband on the Senate floor. She recalled how he, "with great sacrifice, encouraged me to take up the banner and fight for the good."

"Lord, you did not do so by mistake. As much as I love Sen. Curt Menard, I pray for a special touch as I know you love him more," she said.

Sen. Menard's legislative staffer Michael Rovito said she left Juneau later that day and arrived in time to visit with her husband before he died.

Steve Menard, reached at his father's home in Wasilla, said the family has been flooded with calls and visits.

"Everyone always says their father was the greatest when they pass away," he said. "He really was exceptional."

Borough manager John Duffy described Menard as down-to-earth, with an infectious humor that allowed him to defuse potentially volatile political situations.

"I always marveled at how he could manage to take very controversial issues and get people to talk," he said.

UAA Chancellor Fran Ulmer served in the House with Menard. She said he was known for his relentlessly positive attitude and for emphasizing doing right for constituents over party politics. In fact, as part of a program of gag awards, legislative staffers in 1988 named Menard as the Republican "most likely to be mistaken for a Democrat."

In addition to his public service career, Menard was a popular pioneer dentist in the Valley. He opened the first dental practice in Wasilla in the early 1970s when the town had one stoplight and only a few shops, his son said.

In 1975, Menard lost much of his right arm while trying to flag a power line that ran across an airstrip on his property off Shrock Road, Steve Menard said.

A pilot, Menard was standing on a ladder next to the line. When he touched it, a jolt of electricity bolted through his body, blowing off his right arm below the elbow and a chunk of his right thigh. The nearest ambulance was in Anchorage, an hour and a half away.

Undeterred, he taught himself to work on dental patients with one arm.

That determination was a testament to his father's fighting spirit, and the generosity of residents who encouraged him to experiment on them, his son said.

"Enough can't be said about his spirit, but also the spirit of people in town that were so open-hearted," he said. "Immediately after the accident they asked when he was coming back. He said, "Are you crazy, I just lost my arm."

Menard said his father grew up in L'Anse, Mich., and served in the U.S Air Force before moving to Alaska in 1972 with his wife, Linda, and the couple's two small children. The family settled on a homestead off Shrock Road, where they lived in a 20-foot by 16-foot wood frame house Menard built that had no running water. The family hauled water from a nearby lake and their nearest neighbor was three miles away, Steve Menard said.

He started his first dentist practice in Wasilla in a building just off the Parks Highway near Wasilla City Hall. He later expanded with an office in Palmer.

His interest in politics started with a stint on the local school board. He was elected to the state House in 1986, then to the Senate in 1992. He decided not to run for reelection in 1994.

Steve Menard said his father believed in limited political careers.

"One of my dad's greatest quotes was: "There's a life span for a politician between eight and 12 years. After that, you start believing your own B.S."

Menard said his father underwent back and neck surgery during his cancer treatment. In 2007, he took a leave from his job as borough mayor to get a stem cell transplant and recovered for a while.

Despite his illness, Menard continued to work until his last days.

Borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan said she recorded a "Mayor's Minute" radio broadcast with him last week. Duffy said he was surprised by Menard's death because he'd gotten used to him working when he was sick.

Steve Menard said his father continued fighting until the end. He said he was with his father Monday night at the family homestead. He decided to take his father to the hospital when a chronic cough drastically worsened. But he had to trick his dad to get him into the car because he didn't want to go.

"He wanted to pass away here," Steve Menard said, his voice cracking. "But I couldn't let him go."

In addition to his wife, Menard is survived by four children.