Shelby Gilje worked for more than 30 years as a writer, editor and columnist for The Seattle Times. She reported on a variety of topics, including abortion reform, federal and county courts, features and general assignments. She also served as reporter and editor for The Sun, the AnchorageDaily News, the SeattlePost-Intelligencer and the West Seattle News. While employed as a journalist, Gilje moved The Seattle Times’ “Troubleshooter” column from a question-and-answer format about streetlights and potholes to a column noted for advocacy, price surveys and issues such as Medicare HMOs. Additionally, she was active in the Consumer Protection Roundtable, president for two terms on the board of the Western Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and a coordinator of a Matrix Table for Women in Communications. She served for six years on the Washington State AARP Executive Council and continues to do advocacy work for the organization. She also served six years on the Board of Trustees for People’s Memorial Association (PMA), two as president. PMA, founded here in 1939, is the oldest and largest nonprofit funeral-and-memorial cooperative in the U.S. and is dedicated to dignified service and reasonable prices with no sales pressure. Gilje volunteers for a writing project at the Nordic Heritage Museum, of which her late husband, Svein Gilje, was founding president. She is a contributing editor for an ethnic publication, the Norwegian American Weekly.