Sen. Roger R. Badeau, chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, died yesterday at the age of 71.

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The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

Friends and colleagues of Sen. Roger R. Badeau yesterday mourned his loss, saying the longtime lawmaker had the ability to bring together labor and business leaders for a common objective.

Badeau, who had pancreatic cancer, died yesterday at his Woonsocket home where he was receiving hospice care. He was 71. Badeau had served in the Senate since 1985. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor since 1992 and a member of the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee.

Governor Carcieri ordered Rhode Island state flags to be lowered to half staff to honor the senator.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Senator Roger Badeau. The Senate has lost a member of our family today. Senator Badeau was a dedicated and respected public servant. We were proud to call him a colleague, and even more proud to call him a friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Lucille, his children, Marc and Renee, and his entire family,” said Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano in a written statement.

Badeau, a Democrat who represented Woonsocket and Cumberland, helped to bring Rhode Island out of a crisis in its workers’ compensation system in 1990. More recently, he pushed successful legislation to allow Rhode Islanders access to less expensive Canadian pharmaceuticals, as well as legislation repealing one of the last remaining blue laws, allowing liquor stores to open on Sundays, according to Greg Pare, director of communications for the Senate.

Albert Brien, director of human services for Woonsocket, said the city and state have lost a powerful ally. “This is a huge loss for the city of Woonsocket. Senator Badeau was a very powerful voice in the Rhode Island legislature,” he said. Brien got to know Badeau in 1981 when he was running for mayor of Woonsocket and Badeau was running his opponent Gus Ayotte’s political campaign. They became good friends. Brien said that despite his health, he was not surprised to hear that Badeau went to the State House last week. “He was a very special individual in that he was totally dedicated and he loved public service,” Brien said.

Woonsocket Mayor Susan Menard said that one of Badeau’s greatest qualities is that he did his work quietly. “You needed something for the city and he took care of it. He didn’t look for the kudos like a lot of people do,” she said. Menard said Badeau fought hard to get approval to build two badly needed middle schools in the city. “He understood where he came from and the needs of the city,” she said.

Paul Kelly, former Senate majority leader who was elected to office the same year as Badeau, said that the senator, who had been totally business oriented, was able to strike a balance between business and labor when he made him chairman of labor. “He had an ability to bring labor and business together,” Kelly said.

tpina@projo.com