Georgette Valle, who in nearly a quarter century as a state representative pushed successfully to ban smoking in much of public indoor spaces in Washington, died July 10 in Burien. She was 99.
Valle, whose 12 terms in the House of Representatives from 1965 to 1997 were followed by four years on the Burien City Council and a run at the Arizona State Senate, died in her sleep in her home, her son Peter Valle said Thursday.
First introduced by Valle in 1973, the Washington Indoor Clean Air Act passed in 1985, fining people $10 to $100 for smoking indoors. Voters in 2005 passed an initiative to strengthen the law, removing exemptions in places such as bars and restaurants.
The bill was one of her proudest accomplishments in office and equally one of her most difficult, her son said.
Envelopes filled with ashes would arrive at her door, and "legislators would blow smoke in her face — literally," Peter Valle said. "They'd be lighting up a cigar on the floor of the House of Representatives and blow smoke in her face."
Valle also helped establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday in the state and was a passionate environmentalist, securing funding to clean up Puget Sound and establishing regulations to protect groundwater in the Tri-Cities. She even founded the Environmental Science Center in Burien, which provides science education programs for local students.
She was "instrumental in embedding an environmental ethic in Washington state politics," Gov. Jay Inslee said in an email Thursday, remembering how he found himself, "as a rookie legislator from Yakima," endeared to Valle for her efforts while in office.
But, most important, Valle was a mother first, her son said. "That was not just a political slogan. She was very committed to that."
The daughter of a farmer and a teacher, Valle was born in Blue Earth, Minn., in 1924. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she got a degree in occupational therapy and met her husband, Odd Valle, in 1949.
Odd, who was from Norway, had to serve a year in the Norwegian military, so the pair moved overseas and married there before moving to Burien in 1951, answering the siren call of the Seattle-area's large Norwegian community.
Valle first worked at Odd's dental practice. But soon after having two children, she felt the pull of politics, taking after her father, who was a member of Minnesota's Farmer-Labor Party, which had merged with the Democratic Party in 1940s.
"I think she just got tired of being a society mom," Peter said, "so she decided to run for office. It's always been in her blood."
After heading the Democratic Party's statewide voter registration effort in 1960, Valle ran for the state House of Representatives in 1962 and eventually won the seat in 1964, serving a total of 24 years in the Legislature representing the 31st and 34th districts.
In 1996, Valle retired from her seat, which covered areas including Burien and West Seattle. Her seat was then filled by Dow Constantine.
Constantine, now the King County executive, said in an email Friday that Valle's career "is a powerful example of dedication and service," emphasizing her advocacy in educational improvement, tax reform and the environment.
Her "trailblazing efforts have set a high standard for all who follow. Her passing is a profound loss, but her legacy will continue to guide public servants in the Puget Sound region," Constantine said.
After retiring from the House of Representatives, she spent four years on the Burien City Council. Even after leaving office in Washington, still feeling the pull of politics, Valle ran for a state Senate seat south of Tucson in Arizona at the age of 83, having moved to the state shortly after a longtime friend.
"She had a strong sense of social justice," Peter Valle said. "She was very committed to her causes."
Valle wrote four books, including her autobiography "Always a Rebel and Never Without a Cause," the title of which "was the best ever," Inslee said.
In her free time, Valle still found time to be of service to her neighbors, often hosting large parties that fueled her love of socializing. She swam multiple times a week, well into her early 90s, and loved playing the organ.
Valle "was dogged at whatever she decided to do," said Joanna Brunso, a longtime neighbor and close friend who met Valle when she moved to Normandy Park near Burien. The Valles lived in Normandy Park from 1954 to 1969.
Valle and Brunso met at a League of Women Voters meeting in the early 1960s, drawn to each other because their husbands were from the Scandinavian region.
Valle was like extended family to Brunso, she said, "and a very good friend."
As a mother, Valle "was very nonjudgmental. For my sister and myself, she was very accepting of whatever was going on in our lives," such as Peter Valle's opposition to the Vietnam War and his sister's pursuing an acting career in New York, Peter Valle said.
Valle is survived by her two children, Peter and Christine; and four grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Odd, who died in 2012 at 88.
Valle's memorial will be held Tuesday in Normandy Park.
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