Mildred “Millie” Blumenfeld, who championed the rights of people with developmental disabilities and their families for more than 50 years, died on Dec. 11 at the age of 98.

Blumenfeld started out advocating on behalf of her son Lee and soon found herself taking on battles both large and small.

She pushed for everything from better educational and housing opportunities for people with disabilities to air-conditioned county buses and improved fare in vending machines.

Blumenfeld served as a member of the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities from 1997 to 2009, and also took on leadership roles at ARC Industries and Franklin County Residential Services.

“She was certainly a pioneer, starting her efforts in the 1960s to improve services for people with developmental disabilities,” FCBDD Superintendent/CEO Jed Morison said. “Millie was a strong advocate and kept a lot of us on our toes. And she was very insightful, bringing good common sense to our discussions.”

Blumenfeld’s husband, Ted, passed away in May. Their work, oftentimes together, continues to affect thousands of people in the Franklin County community, Morison said.