Of Silver Spring, MD passed away January 5, 2017 at Montgomery General Hospital due to complications from pneumonia and an underlying neuromuscular disease called desminopathy. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1946, she worked in the Office of the Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, from 1965 to 1968 as a legislative aide and graduated from George Washington University in 1968. She subsequently earned a law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1981, and a Masters of Library Science from University of Maryland in 1990. In the late 80s, she worked as a government contractor helping to develop patient advocacy and information services for the benefit of affected AIDS/HIV populations. In the 90s, she worked as a trademark examining attorney for the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Thereafter, until her retirement from federal service in 2003, she held various positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While at NIH, she especially enjoyed working on behalf of Federal intramural scientists in technology transfer optimizing opportunities for successful collaborative research agreements and developing and commercializing breakthrough biomedical discoveries. In retirement, she enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren, following politics, and seeking the latest research on her neuromuscular disease, which she documented at a website she created and maintained called “The Desminopathy Reporter.” She will be dearly missed by her two children, Jordan (Michele) Pulaski and Samantha (Mark) Siegelman; five grandchildren, Joshua, Sarah, Zachary, Emma, and Matthew; her sister Camilla (Barry) Schlegel; her brother, Todd Phillips; and her niece and nephew. Family and friends may call on Thursday, January 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Collins Funeral Home, Silver Spring, MD. A celebration of her life will be held at Our Lady of Grace Church in Silver Spring, Maryland at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 13. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Rescue Alliance or to the Pet Connect Rescue.