Former Herald bird columnist Madeleine Brown dies

A former Tri-City Herald columnist and Hanford Advisory Board member, Madeleine Brown, died Monday less than a year after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, last summer.

Brown, 58, wrote a column about Mid-Columbia birds for the Herald from 1999 to 2008.

She was last employed as the community outreach and education specialist for the state Department of Ecology’s Nuclear Waste Program in Richland, and had made hundreds of presentations about the Hanford nuclear reservation.

“We know that she touched so many lives in a very personal way, from the way she smiled, lived the embodiment of protecting and sustaining the environment, and the way her graceful, accepting soul taught us all about being thankful in the face of extreme adversity,” Suzanne Dahl, the senior manager present at the Nuclear Waste Program office Tuesday, said in a message to employees.

Brown worked for the program for a decade, with roles in public involvement, outreach and internal communications, including working closely with the Hanford Advisory Board.

She was a past member of the board, serving as the nonunion/nonmanagement employee representative from 1995-99 and representing the Washington League of Women Voters from 2001-06.

She was an active member of the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society, including serving as treasurer last year and traveling to Australia for bird watching in late 2014.

She is survived by her husband, Lyle Wilhelmi, and daughter, Rose Wilhelmi.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Former Herald bird columnist Madeleine Brown dies."