Joan Kirner was the rarest of politicians - she didn't have an ego - and wouldn't have wanted a lot of fuss made over her passing.
But on Friday Victoria will honour its first female premier with all the ceremony of a state funeral to pay tribute to her and recognise her legacy.
Ms Kirner, 76, died on Monday after a near two-year battle with oesophageal cancer.
Premier Daniel Andrews says Ms Kirner was so selfless she probably would not have wanted to see a lot of fuss being made over her.
"If you had asked Joan whether she wanted a statue ... I think she would have said 'no, that's absolute nonsense'," he said on Tuesday.
"It's the rarest of things - a political leader with no ego.
"Her steely resolve, her toughness, her determination to get on with things and fight for what she believed in - this is what defines Joan Kirner."
Flags were flying at half-mast on all government buildings in Victoria on Tuesday to mark her death, he said.
"Again, when the service is held they will fly at half-mast," he said.
Her Labor premiership was brief and tumultuous, taking over from John Cain, who quit in 1990 after losing party support in the face of mismanagement and waste.
She never won an election, losing in a landslide to Jeff Kennett in 1992.
Her government was often the subject of parody by the media to the point she became inextricably linked to a polka dot dress mythology thanks to a cartoon in The Age newspaper.
The man who defeated her to become premier in 1992 says he's glad he got to know his political opponent after they both left public life.
"In my opinion, she will be remembered for three things she felt passionate about - family, education and the advancement of women, not only in the political environment but throughout Australia generally," Mr Kennett told ABC radio.
Both Australia's first female prime minister Julia Gillard and the first woman to lead NSW, Kristina Keneally, regarded Ms Kirner as a role model.
ACTU president Ged Kearney said Ms Kirner helped pave the way for women as a founder of Emily's List, an organisation devoted to increasing women's participation in politics.
Ms Kirner is survived by her husband Ron, children Michael, David and Kate, Michael's partner Madeleine, and grandchildren Ned and Sam Kirner, and Xanthe and Joachim.
Ms Kirner will be farewelled at 10am on Friday at the Williamstown Town Hall.
Her family has requested people consider a donation to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation in lieu of flowers.
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