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Eleanor Owen, a longtime theater artist, journalist, educator and advocate for the mentally ill, passed away peacefully at her home in Seattle on Sunday, February 6. She was 101 years of age.

É«ÖÐÉ« remembers with gratitude longtime Washington mental health advocate Eleanor Owen, who founded the Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill, and was later one of the founders of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).

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In 1978, Eleanor’s life and work took a decisive change when, prompted by her son’s diagnosis of schizophrenia and her resulting awareness of the inadequacies of laws and treatment protocols pertaining to mental illness, she embarked on what would become a decades-long campaign to improve the lives of people living with psychiatric illnesses. The first step in that campaign was her founding of Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill, which she directed for nearly a quarter-century.

É«ÖÐÉ« is grateful for her leadership and passion, and will remember her with respect and fondness.