Nancy St. Pierre, an accountant in the County Treasurer’s office and former longtime archivist for the County Clerk, was found dead in her home this morning, the county public information office reported. She was 61.

“Ms. St. Pierre had been in ill health and been hospitalized recently, but her condition had improved and she returned to work on Monday. When she did not appear at work this morning and did not answer her phone, Treasurer Jan Sears went to her home to check on her,” the county reported on its Web site.

Sears was quoted as saying, “She was a great gal. We will all miss her.”

Three sheriff’s officers, including Sheriff Bill Cumming, and medical personnel went to the home in the North Forty neighborhood. St. Pierre was found in her bed and it appeared she died in her sleep of natural causes, Cumming said.

St. Pierre moved to San Juan County from Glendora, Calif., in 1995 and joined the clerk’s department in a part-time capacity two years later. Her late husband, Skip St. Pierre, worked for Friday Harbor Realty, drove a bus for San Juan Transit, was active with American Legion Post 163, and ran for Friday Harbor Port Commission. He died in October 2002.

The Treasurer’s Office closed today in response to St. Pierre’s death. Retired county clerk Mary Jean Cahail remembered St. Pierre as a warm and friendly person who enjoyed music, never forgot a name or face, and “always seemed pretty happy.”

“She was a nice person and she was real honest person,” Cahail said. “She always knew you, would recognize you and say hello. She seemed to get along with everybody and always seemed pretty happy. I know she cared for her family a lot.”

She is survived by two sons, Michael Burns, who lives in California, and Devin Burns, who has just completed a tour of duty with the Navy and is relocating in North Carolina. Her sister, Bobbi Needham, lives on San Juan Island.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by the family.