Veda Jellen was a force in GOP

The day before she died, Veda Jellen lay in her hospital bed, an oxygen mask over her face and a notepad by her head, and helped her son Daniel craft her obituary.

"Here's the things you need to know when it's time to write my obituary," Mrs. Jellen told her son. "There's a lot that can be said about my political involvement, and people know me well for that, but I want to make it clear that my involvement with my family was the most important thing to me."

That's why the obituary the family placed in newspapers tells of her work as PTA president at Briarcliff Elementary School and chairwoman of a Campfire organization, and about how she drove Boy Scouts to trailheads all over the state.

And then it mentions her years in Republican Party politics, a time when she became one of the most influential women in the state GOP.

"She was a huge personality. People loved her, and she loved them," said U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Bellevue. For eight years, the two women worked together for the state Republican Party.

"We had so much fun," said Dunn. "In the middle of a confrontational situation, Veda would start laughing, and it was infectious. Her children knew they had a unique mother, but I don't know if they knew how important her style was."

A native of Wenatchee who moved to Seattle as a child, Mrs. Jellen, 69, died Saturday of lung cancer. She was married to her husband, David, for nearly 40 years and they raised five children in their Magnolia home.

"She was the glue that held our family together," Dan Jellen said. "She was our strength."

Mrs. Jellen began her political career working for Initiative 350. After the Seattle School District began large-scale busing for desegregation in 1978, voters passed the initiative, aimed at stopping school busing.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1982 struck down I-350 as unconstitutional, leaving mandatory busing in place until the school district later dismantled it voluntarily.

Republican leaders say Mrs. Jellen had the most comprehensive understanding of GOP policies of anyone in the state, and knew before anyone else the importance of grass-root politics and courting the absentee voter.

For eight years, she worked as political director for the state Republican Party and spent another eight years working for former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton as his state director and later his campaign manager.

There were few GOP campaigns that Mrs. Jellen didn't influence. She was campaign director for Ken Eikenberry's successful run for state attorney general and was state director of President Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign and the first President Bush's 1988 campaign.

She also was executive director of Victory 88, a direct-mail and telephone campaign organized by the Republican National Committee, and she served on the state redistricting commission in 1991.

"Everyone turned to her for advice, everyone," said Chris Vance, state Republican chairman. "Politics is all about people, and she understood people."

Mrs. Jellen's influence in Republican politics was never more apparent than in March 2001, when Vance was invited to a reception at the White House. He took Mrs. Jellen as his guest.

President Bush spotted her, rushed up and gave her a kiss. "She thought it was the greatest thing," Vance said. "The president didn't recognize me."

Another time, he said, when he was considering a run for Congress in 1999, Mrs. Jellen opposed it. It had nothing to do with politics, he said, but rather the fact that Vance had small children. Mrs. Jellen was worried that the travel would be bad for his family. She said she wouldn't support him until she had spoken with Vance's wife, which she did. Eventually, Mrs. Jellen did work for Vance in his losing campaign.

Even as her health was failing she was instrumental in recently electing Pat Herbold to lead the King County Republican Party.

And last Friday, Gorton said he spoke to Mrs. Jellen by phone. "We had a long conversation about politics," Gorton said. "She wanted to know about the candidates for senator and governor. She didn't want to talk about herself. She had an almost unique set of personal qualities, strong motivation and strong dedication.

"You ignored her advice at your peril."

Besides politics, her other passion was the Seattle Mariners baseball team. Dan Jellen said that when his parents would come to his house for dinner, Mrs. Jellen would excuse herself, saying it was time to go. Jellen soon figured out she simply wanted to get back in the car and listen to the Mariners game.

After she retired, Mrs. Jellen and her husband traveled to England, Norway and Australia. The couple had planned to leave April 1 for a trip to China.

In addition to her husband and son Daniel, Mrs. Jellen is survived by son Chris of Seattle; daughters Jackie of Warm Beach, Julie of Everett and Debbie of Redmond.

Services are at 11 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 3218 W. Barrett St., Seattle.

The family asks that remembrances be made to the American Lung Association of Washington, 2625 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com