Obituary of Valerie Jean Broadwell

Valerie Jean Broadwell Chapel Hill, NC - Valerie Jean Broadwell, 52, died Monday, August 22, 2011. She was the daughter of Alois Harry Piotrowski and Eleanor Ann Piotrowski. Born June 25, 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. She attended graduate school at American University in Washington, DC, where she received a Masters of Public Administration. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. Following her service overseas she resided in the Washington, DC area where she worked for the US Peace Corps agency and for Defenders of Wildlife. In 1990, she moved to Chapel Hill, NC where she began a 26-year long career with the US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards. Among her responsibilities, she held a leadership role in developing state implementation plans and creating transportation options for Research Triangle Park employees. She derived great enjoyment from freelance writing and was an active contributor to local and regional newspapers and magazines. She authored the book City of Light, City of Dark, an exploration of subterranean Paris. She was a former member of the Church of the Reconciliation Presbyterian Church where she served on the hand bell choir. She was active in her community, serving on the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission and spearheading initiatives for neighborhood protection and traffic calming. She is survived by her mother, Eleanor Piotrowski of Milwaukee; a brother, Norbert Piotrowski (Bonnie) of Chicago, IL, three sisters, Kathy Becker of Crandon,WI, JoAnn DesMarais of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and Betty Fox of Ann Arbor, MI; many nephews and nieces; a daughter Katherine DuBose Broadwell and a son Christopher Brian Broadwell; and her former husband Mark Broadwell of Chapel Hill. Funeral services will be held at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, August 27, 2011, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill with burial immediately following at the Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Duke Cancer Institute to support the Breast Oncology Program. Gifts may be mailed to the Duke Cancer Institute, 512 S. Mangum Street, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701, or online at www.cancer.duke.edu. Memorials may also may be made to The Nature Conservancy. The family will receive visitors at the home Friday evening from 6 to 8 PM.