Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Vern Ehlers, a research physicist and moderate Republican who represented a western Michigan congressional district for 17 years and advocated for Great Lakes cleanup funding, has died. He was 83.

Ehlers died late Tuesday at a Grand Rapids nursing facility, Melissa Morrison, funeral director at Zaagman Memorial Chapel, said Wednesday.

In 2010, Ehlers decided against seeking re-election to the 3rd District. He previously was a state lawmaker and taught physics at Calvin College after earning a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

More Top Picks Best Magsafe Wallets

In Congress, he sought protections for the Great Lakes and oversaw the country’s first major statement on science policy in more than 50 years.

Republican Rep. Fred Upton, who served with Ehlers, said in a statement that he was “so well-respected on both sides of the aisle, hard-working and always a teacher at heart. He committed his life to the service of others – ensuring our students were well prepared for careers in math and science and raising awareness for protecting our environment and Great Lakes.”

“He was a family man and a Christian who made his community and country a better place for all,” Upton said. “We will certainly miss his common-sense voice, the likes of which is all too rare in today’s political climate.”

Ehlers is survived by his wife, four children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.