Sondra Lee Seba Hemenway, who worked on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign and served eight years in the Clinton administration, died Saturday in McLean, Va.
The Clinton, Okla., native, who grew up in Hot Springs, was 67.
Clinton's mother, Virginia Kelley, and Hemenway's mother, Dixie Seba, were best friends for years.
In a written statement Tuesday, the former president paid tribute to Hemenway.
"Sondra was kind, capable, and compassionate. She was great at bringing people together and getting things done on behalf of the many causes she cared about," he said.
"I'll always be grateful for her outstanding work during my 1992 campaign, on my transition team, and in my administration, all the more because my mother was close friends with her parents so I watched her grow up into the remarkable person she was," he said.
"My heart goes out to her family and all who loved her," he said.
A graduate of Lakeside High School, Hemenway left Arkansas after graduation, earning a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
After working in banking and sales and as a special events consultant, she returned to Arkansas and joined the Clinton campaign.
After the election, Hemenway worked in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel before taking positions with the Defense Department.
In 1995, she was assigned to the newly established White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach.
Betsy Myers, who served as the office's director, said Hemenway possessed "Southern charm" and an eye for detail.
"She was a 'dot the i, cross the t' perfectionist," Myers said. "When Sondra was running an event or was leading something for us, you never had to worry that things were going to fall through the cracks."
Hemenway was a cherished colleague and friend, Myers said.
"I'm not sure she really realized how admired and loved and respected she was because she was always focused on other people," she said.
"She never wanted the light shined on her. She was always shining the light on others," she said.
Bonnie Swayze, a friend since childhood, emphasized Hemenway's "tenacity, her intellect. Her sense of the triumph of right over wrong through adversity."
"Sondra was always a champion of the underdog. She was very much a proponent of social justice," Swayze said.
After the end of Clinton's presidency, Hemenway continued to advocate on behalf of women and girls, serving as a commissioner on the Fairfax County Commission for Women and as a board member for the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, headquarters of the National Women's Party.
She was also member of the board for the Fairfax County Convention and Visitors Corp.
Robin Leeds, who worked in the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach, said Hemenway was "super delightful to be around."
"She was my best friend," she said.
"Sondra was the light of my life and so many others," Leeds said. "She just kind of lit up the room."
Hemenway is survived by her husband, James Hemenway of McLean, her father, Leland E. Seba of Hot Springs, and her brother, Brian Michael Seba of Las Vegas.
She was preceded in death by her mother and a brother, Stanley Bruce Seba.
A celebration of Hemenway's life will be held at a later date.