Lenore Taliaferro

Lenore Taliaferro died August 5, 2010 at her home in Helena, Montana.
Lenore was born December 4, 1935 in Joliet, Illinois to Frank Renner and Frances Donahue Renner. She attended Joliet Township High School. She received a B.S. in Education from Illinois State University in 1957 and a Master's in Public Administration from the Political Science Department at the University of Kansas in 1977.
She married J. Dale Taliaferro October 23, 1976. He survives of the home.
She is also survived by daughter Laura Kathryn Findlay Hagen and her husband Jeffrey Hagen and children Leif, Sophia, and Finn; stepdaughter Sara L.Taliaferro and her husband Mark Jakubauskas and daughters Cecelia and Allison; and stepson Bradford B. Taliaferro and wife Birdena Taliaferro and son Isaac and daughter Lisa Gaut. She is also survived by Nora Renner, sister-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.
Lenore was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Franklin Renner, and her beloved son Paul Findlay.
Lenore had a career of advocacy and compassion for people of all ages. She worked for many non-profit organizations in Lawrence, KS as well as in Helena. She supported and advocated for low-income youth, held positions as Coordinator of Department of Human Resources, Director of Volunteer Services as a social worker, Director of the Independent Living Project that supported physically disabled, Ombuds-man with SRS, Commun-ity Ser-vices Division for the State of Montana, Family Abuse Specialist, Project Director of First Steps Programs on the Helena Council for Prevention of Child Abuse, and was later a private consultant on abuse and child/elder issues.
Lenore received numerous awards for her lifelong efforts of advocacy including Kansas Outstanding Woman of the Year in 1979, Outstanding Member of Montana Gerontology Society in 2002 and Advocacy Award for Montana Long Term Care Ombudsman in 2005. She also served in numerous capacities as a volunteer, specifically for the Florence Crittenton Home and many other agencies in the Helena area.
Lenore was a unique woman with many facets. She loved her family, dear friends both in Lawrence and Helena, fashion design and hand knit sweaters, reading, hiking and camping, dance, music and theatre, modeling, humor, photography, travel, creative writing and particularly enjoyed doing only what she wanted to do. She was greatly loved and admired and will be missed for her generous, creative and free spirit.
Memorials can be addressed to Florence Crittenton Home and Friendship Center, both of Helena, at www.stevensonandsons.com.

This information was provided to the Journal-World as a paid tribute.

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