Joan LeMieux, a longtime Mark Morris High School English teacher and former Cowlitz County Commissioner, died Dec. 10 in Anacortes after a long illness. She was 87.
Initially a transplant to Longview, LeMieux quickly ingrained herself in the community and would eventually run for political office and rally other women to do the same.
âShe pulled together women in this area for the purpose of networking and trying to get women more involved on local boards and elected to political office,â said Karen Pickett, a longtime friend of LeMieuxâs. âThis was at a time when women were beginning to realize that if they were going to be part of the decision-makers (group), they needed to be in network with each other. ⦠That was kind of the genesis of this in Cowlitz County.â