Jody Lee Lenoir

Obituary

In Loving Memory of Jody Lee Lenoir

Jody Lee Lenoir, aged 74, passed away peacefully at her home on August 2, 2026, surrounded by her family's love. Born in August of 1951, Jody was raised in Wenatchee, Washington—with a brief chapter in Williams, Oregon—and was the beloved daughter of Harles and Fay. Growing up, she brought joy and talent to her community as a performer in the famous Wenatchee Youth Circus, eventually graduating from Wenatchee High School.

Following high school, Jody moved to the Seattle and Edmonds area to pursue community college. She worked in sales and customer service at Sears before embarking on a trailblazing early career in the technology sector with Safeco Insurance in the University District. Operating an IBM 370 mainframe computer, Jody was responsible for running programmers’ punch-card decks. They would ask for special favors to reschedule their failed programs. This led to her signature phrase "I like flowers" which was a strong hint about what it would take to put a program on the schedule at the last minute. 

It was during these late-night troubleshooting sessions with early, complex computer systems that Jody met the love of her life, Ed. He had made a particularly egregious programming error one Friday night, and Jody spent her Saturday at the office helping him restage an entire night’s worth of processing for the homeowners policy system. When asked later how he managed to get her to do all that weekend work, Ed’s answer was simple: "I had to marry her."

And so they married in 1981. They honeymooned on the Washington and Oregon coasts–which eventually became a lifelong vacation favorite. Jody loved anything with water–ocean, Puget Sound–especially the resident Orco whale pods–lakes, rivers, streams, even the creek along the back property line of their Brier, Washington home. They had moved there in 1982, six weeks after welcoming their first child. Jody transitioned her formidable organizational talents to her family, retiring from Safeco to devote herself full-time to her most rewarding and demanding job: raising her three children. With each child born two years apart, she embraced the role with endless patience, deep love, and seven straight years of diapers.

Jody cultivated lifelong friends in that little cul-de-sac in Brier. Ten homes, ten families, and far more than 10 children. Kids could play outside on the street or in front yards, as long as they came in when the street lights came on. Of course, as teens the street light event was “more of a suggestion”

During the 1990s, Jody deeply invested her time into her children’s school and church community at St. Pius X in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. She utilized her organized mindset to run committees and implement large-scale school auctions and community engagement activities like the annual Fantasy Fest carnival. As her children grew, Jody brought that same fierce enthusiasm to the stands at Mountlake Terrace High School, cheering loudly at baseball games, basketball games, swim meets, and diving competitions.

Once her children grew up and ventured out to college and the Air Force, Jody embraced new passions. In 2014, she and Ed moved to Snohomish County for their retirement years. She loved taking trips to the beach and decorating her home. Armed with an eye for event design and an ever-changing catalog of recipes, Jody was always ready to host or bring a dish to the next potluck. 

Throughout her life, her family remained her greatest joy. That joy grew even richer as her adult children married and brought four cherished grandsons into her world. Though she lived a full, vibrant life and was just weeks shy of her 75th birthday, her passing leaves an aching void for all who knew and loved her. She will always be remembered for her sharp attention to detail, her deeply caring nature, and her fierce loyalty to those she loved.

Jody was preceded in death by her parents, Harles and Fay, and her sister, Jannie.

She is survived by her loving husband, Edward; her daughters, Amy and Catherine (Frank); her son, Robert (Jia); her four grandsons, Chris, Rainier, Pete, and Si; and her brother, Ross.

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