SPOKANE, Wash.- Mayor Lisa Brown ordered all flags flown by the city government to be lowered to half-staff on Feb. 14 in honor of Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientific Technician Mary Valentine, who died while working in the Duckabush River on Jan. 23.
The order, which follows a similar action by Governor Jay Inslee, will last through the end of business on Feb. 15. The Spokane mayor offered her condolences to Valentine’s family.
“Spokane sends its deepest sympathies and condolences to Mary Valentine’s family, friends, and colleagues,” Brown said.
Valentine was a scientist who had been researching Washington fish populations for over a decade, and had been employed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife since 2022. The department’s director Kelly Susewind shared her response to the loss in a Jan. 25 statement.
“Mary was a dedicated employee since 2022 and very committed to our work monitoring salmon and steelhead populations. She was a beloved team member at WDFW. Our hearts are with her family and all who knew and worked with her,” Susewind said.
The mayor’s office encouraged all Spokane residents to fly their flags at half-staff in remembrance of Valentine.
