Lenore August Paige

Houghton --- Lenore August Paige of Fancher Heights died on Monday, May 20, 2024 in the Houghton Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility. She was born on September 25, 1930, in Chicago IL, a daughter of the late Benjamin and Regina Weiss August who were Jewish immigrants who fled Poland in the early 1900’s to escape religious persecution.

At age 8, her father brought her to Seattle where he worked as a tailor and operated a dry-cleaning shop.  As a young woman she loved ice-skating, dancing and swimming.

Family hardships led Lenore to hard work and self-reliance at an early age.  She responded to the chaos around her with a drive to order her world.  She developed a love of learning, and became the first woman in her family to pursue higher education, graduating from the University of Washington in 1952 with a B.A. in English and later obtaining teaching credentials as well.

She taught high school for a few years before making a career switch to office work.  Her career spanned the rise of the computer age, and Lenore studied to keep up with advancements.  She worked on everything from punch-card readers to tape-storage systems to desktop computers.

After retiring she continued to learn new operating systems and programs, doing genealogical research, browsing news, and keeping in touch with family up until she was 91.  As an office worker, she did everything from typing and scheduling to bookkeeping and property management.  She was employed by architects, by an executive of Western International Hotels as his personal assistant, and by a Canadian property-management firm, among others.

In 1952 Lenore married Gene F. Paige, and they had three children: Russell, Regina, and Terence. They divorced in 1969.  Lenore loved to make baked goods for her family, especially bread.

Lenore was most proud of her work with the Washington State Board against Discrimination in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.  She helped expose racial discrimination in housing and business.

She leaves behind two brothers, Gerald August and George August; her three children; and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Lenore’s ex-husband predeceased her in 1983, as did her oldest brother Irving.

Burial will be in Bikur Cholim Cemetery, Seattle, Washington.