Sitting El Dorado County Supervisor John Hidahl passes away at 73

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - John Hidahl, the current El Dorado County supervisor for District 1, died suddenly in his El Dorado Hills home on Saturday afternoon. He was 73.

"My heart is broken," said District 5 Supervisor Brooke Laine. "It was my honor to know and serve with John Hidahl. He was extremely thoughtful and dignified. I extend my love to his wife, Eileen, and the family. It is a great loss."

El Dorado County released a statement Sunday morning.

"Supervisor Hidahl was a dedicated and devoted public servant who loved his country, his county, and his community," the statement said. "He will be deeply missed by all those who knew him."

The cause of Hidahl's death is currently unknown.

According to his profile on the El Dorado County website, Hidahl graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. His professional career in the Aerospace Industry spanned 41 years, working at Aerojet for 31 years and Northrop Grumman for 10 years. His roles included: rocket test engineer, rocket design engineer, rocket heat transfer, performance and stability engineer, project engineer, program manager, development operations and manufacturing manager, Director of Engineering, Chief Systems Engineer, and Mission Assurance Program Manager. John served as an elected Director of the El Dorado Hills County Water District for 33 years.

Hidahl was married to Eileen for 52 years and together they raised their five daughters in El Dorado Hills.

El Dorado County said they would release details on Hidahl's service in the coming days.

Hidahl was terming out after serving the county for eight years. His replacement, Greg Ferrero, won the primary in March and will assume the position in January.