Feb 04, 2012 08:06 PM EST
Darlene Meyer, 64, an advertising account executive for The Washington Post who was also vice president of the local unit of the Newspaper Guild, was found dead Jan. 20 at her home in the District.
Her niece, Nadia Khan, said Ms. Meyer had been on sick leave and the cause of death is unknown. The D.C. medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death
Ms. Meyer joined The Post in 1997 and worked in the legal advertising department until her death. In 1998, she joined the Newspaper Guild, a union representing news and commercial employees, and became chief steward for commercial employees a year later.
In 2000, she became an officer in the union’s local, the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild. She had served as the local’s vice president since 2002. She was a member of the bargaining committee that negotiated employee contracts with The Post in 2002, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
Janet Darlene Meyer was born in Knippa, Tex., and graduated from high school in San Antonio. She was a 1969 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in history. She later did graduate study in nutrition and life sciences at the University of Maryland.
Before joining The Post, Ms. Meyer operated the International Economics Group, a consulting firm that she established in 1981. She previously worked for an urban planning firm and a federal contracting company.
Ms. Meyer volunteered at the Kennedy Center and participated in animal rescue and adoption efforts. She also enjoyed international travel.
Survivors include two sisters.
— Matt Schudel