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Sue Lani Madsen is a native of
Washington, grew up in Spokane, graduated from Washington State
University in 1978 and has been a resident of Lincoln County for
almost 30 years. She and her husband Craig live on a small acreage
north of Edwall, Washington. Sue Lani is a founding partner of
Madsen Mitchell Evenson Conrad, pllc (www.madmitch.com),
a successful architectural, interior design and construction
management practice with offices in Edwall and Spokane. Clients
include Eastern Washington University, Washington State University
and Providence Health.
Sue Lani and her husband Craig
started a unique ranching enterprise, Healing Hooves LLC (www.healinghooves.com)
in 2002. Craig and Sue Lani manage a herd of about 280 goats and a
dozen St. Croix hair sheep for use in natural vegetation management,
breeding stock and for meat. Healing Hooves is regularly featured
on Northwest Cable News and other publications, and has been
recognized for its groundbreaking work in blending agriculture and
the environment (and even more unusual - it’s a profitable small
agricultural start-up business!).
Sue Lani is a member of AgForestry Leadership Class 29 (www.agforestry.org). Her community leadership has included Secretary/Treasurer of the
7th District Republican Committee, Secretary/Treasurer of
the Lincoln County Farm Bureau and 2006-2007 President of the
Washington Rural Health Association. Sue Lani is an active
volunteer EMT/firefighter with Lincoln County Fire District 4,
serving since 1987. She also served a term on the Town of Reardan
Planning Commission prior to moving to Edwall, and was selected as
Chairman by her colleagues on the commission.
Sue Lani is an
Elder and teacher at First Presbyterian Church in Reardan,
delivering the Time for Children message most Sundays and filling in
at the pulpit occasionally.
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Her daughter,
Amanda, graduated from Reardan High School in 1995 and is married to
Air Force Tech Sergeant Jeremy Meier. Jeremy, Amanda and grandson
Gabe are currently stationed at MacDill AFB in Florida. Jeremy
is also an on-line student with the Moody Bible Institute and a
volunteer with the US Chaplain Corps. The young family hopes to
return to northeastern Washington after a career in the US Air
Force.
Sue Lani’s interest in serving the
community follows the pattern set by her happily retired parents.
Her mother, Fran Wicht, worked as a nurse at Deaconess and a nursing
instructor at Spokane Community College, and played an active role
in the Washington State Nurses Association statewide. Her father,
Con Wicht, taught in the Spokane Public Schools for 20 years after 6
years active duty in the Coast Guard, and completed his military
career with 15 additional years service in the USCG Reserve. He
enlisted as an ordinary seaman and retired as a Lieutenant
Commander.
Sue Lani has deep family ties in
the 7th Legislative District. Her great-parents Edwin
and Gertrude Beck Bowker began married life homesteading on land
near Warden early in the 1900's. Several dry years caused them to
move away from the land. In 1929, with their family, they managed
the Purity store in Curlew for several years.
Her
great-aunt Helen Bowker Noel played and sang at dances throughout
northeastern Washington in the 1940’s and 1950’s. She and her
husband, Francis Noel took over the Curlew Purity store after Edwin
Bowker died in 1936 They later moved to Republic and managed Noel's
Fuller Paint store. Sue Lani’s great-aunt Katherine Bowker taught a
year at the Toroda Creek school in the 1930’s. Another set of
great-grandparents, Milton and Frances Minnice Bennett had a cattle
ranch near Usk from 1912 to 1920 when a prolonged drought forced
them to move off the land. Sue Lani was raised on the family
stories about life at the store, on the farm and teaching in rural
schools.
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