SHOREWOOD, Ill. — After 36 years of service to the residents of Troy Township in Will County, Assessor Patricia A. Gabrielson retired on March 31, 2012.

Gabrielson’s history with the township goes back to the 1960s, when her late husband Paul Barnes was township assessor. From 1962 to 1968, the office of the assessor was in their home, and Gabrielson worked part-time calculating the assessments and working with both the taxpayers and county officials.

In 1982, then-Assessor Frank Marco hired Gabrielson  to work for the township as an employee of the assessor’s office. Upon Marco’s death in 1983, Clarence Balla became assessor and Gabrielson continued her work with the assessor’s office until 1995, when she was appointed as the assessor upon Mr. Balla’s retirement. Gabrielson then went on to be elected as the Troy Township Assessor a total of four more terms.

In 1990, Gabrielson achieved her Certified Illinois Assessing Official designation and, in 1995, achieved the CIAO-I (Intermediate) designation.

At the time Gabrielson received the CIAO-I designation, she was one of only five individuals in all of Will County to achieve this level.

Gabrielson’s efforts to improve communication to the taxpayers of Troy Township is also in need of being noted. In the fall of 1996, she helped to create and implement the “Township Communicator,” the semi-annual newsletter mailed to all residents of Troy Township.

She can also be credited with starting the Troy Township website. The website, when launched, was one of the first township websites to list the information for each residential property in the township. It made access to assessment information on residential properties in the township available to anyone with a computer.

“Pat’s influence and impact on Troy Township will be visible for years to come. She has served the residents of Troy Township and given them 36 years of her time. She will be missed,” said Township Supervisor Joseph D. Baltz.

Gabrielson is a lifelong resident of Troy Township. She is married to Gerry Gabrielson and they have four children and five grandchildren. Additionally, she is a 50-year member of the Troy Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and is also a past president of the auxiliary.

At the March 19 meeting of the Township Board, Kim Anderson, CIAO, was appointed to fulfill Gabrielson’s unexpired term, effective April 1.

Anderson is also a lifelong Troy Township resident. She has been employed with the assessor’s office since 2007, having obtained her CIAO designation in 2010. She is continuing her education with the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Property Assessment Institute.

A member of the Will County Assessor’s Association, Anderson is a prior, 18-year business owner and former Shorewood Emergency Services and Disaster Agency director.

She is married and has one son.

For more information about Troy Township, visit www.troytownship.com or call Supervisor Joseph D. Baltz's office at (815) 744-1968.