The joy of an unexpected pennant race took a backseat Thursday for the Minnesota Twins as they mourned the loss of a beloved long-time employee.

Margaret “Peg” Imhoff, who worked for the team for 42 years and was known as the team’s press box ambassador, died Thursday morning after battling cancer.

“Peg, who was known for her glowing smile and kindness, was a committed employee of 42 years,” the organization’s official statement noted. “She was a true representative of the Minnesota Twins character and dedicated her life to baseball. The club, like many of her friends throughout Major League Baseball community, are thinking of the entire Imhoff family during this difficult time.”

Imhoff clearly made an impression on the Twins community, both inside the organization and out. The dining room behind the press box was named “Peg’s Cafe” in her honor when it opened in 2010.

Several media outlets acknowledged her passing and Twitter accolades were plentiful, from those inside the organization and those covering it.

Twins President Dave St. Peter:

Current announcer and former Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven:

Strib columnist and 1500ESPN host Patrick Reusse:

Pioneer Press Beat Writer Mike Berardino:

GoMN.com Sports Director Joe Nelson:

Star Tribune scribe Jim Souhan says a lot of behind the scenes members of the organization make a writer feel lucky to cover the baseball beat, and he called Imhoff “one of our favorites.”

Whether she greeted him warmly or chastised him for a column he disagreed with, Souhan acknowledged Imhoff as one of the characters that makes baseball great.

“Unique among major sports, baseball offers downtime, chances to talk about something other than baseball,” he wrote, adding that he’d met her in 1993 when she worked the Metrodome press box’s hot dog grill. “She was loyal and treated us all like family, whether we deserved it or not.”