Obituary of Lenore F. Holm

“The rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore…”

Lenore’s joie de vivre affected all who knew her.  She was young at heart, cheerful, hardworking, and always forward-looking.  The past held little appeal; the present and the future were where her interests lay.  She would spend hours and hours reading her favorites: The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The New York Review of Books.  She loved the world of ideas, and she thrived on the vibrant political scene in Washington, D.C. 

Lenore’s first and last love was music.  The daughter of a professional pianist, she had little formal training but such enormous talent and drive that she won first place in the graduate concerto competition at Northwestern University’s School of Music.  While earning her master’s degree in piano performance, she was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honors Society.  She taught piano for much of her life, both privately and at Columbia College.  She always said that working with young people kept her young, too.  She also played violin in the Columbia Philharmonic Orchestra and was the organist and choir director at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church.  After earning a second master’s degree in library science, she became a music librarian, first at Converse College and then at the University of Maryland.  She completed her career with nearly twenty years at the Library of Congress, retiring at age 78.  She played her grand piano to her last day. 

Lenore was a performer; she didn’t have to be coaxed to take a seat at the piano at any gathering.  Her sense of style was hers alone—the girl had flair.  She was always game for a good time, staying up late to talk and laugh into the night given any opportunity.  She couldn’t say no to a glass of wine, but she always wanted “just a little bit.”  LOTS of “little bits.” 

Lenore grew up at Medicine Lake, Minnesota, later moving to Chicago.  She dreamed of going to Europe and finally got the opportunity after college, moving to Germany for two years to work as a social director (how fitting!) at United States Army bases.  There she met her future husband and traveled around Europe with her girlfriends and her brother David.  For her 80th and 90th birthdays, her children treated her to return trips to Germany to see her “old stomping grounds” and to visit landmarks in the life of her favorite composer, J.S. Bach.  She also loved going on numerous western travel adventures with family, even sleeping in a tent into her 80s.  She was so proud of her children and always supportive of their ventures, no matter how unconventional.

If you needed someone to be excited and exuberant about any news you had, Lenore was the one to call.  She genuinely enjoyed people and their life stories.  “The Queen of Topics and Tangents,” she would strike up a conversation on any subject with any person; she knew no strangers.  Yet despite her innate extroversion, Lenore also had a deeply contemplative, spiritual side.  She attended lectures at the Jung Society and was a “crowned crone” in the Wisewoman Forum.  She read widely on philosophy and psychology and was fascinated by the inner workings of the mind and soul.

Lenore died in her sleep in Alexandria, Virginia, having lived zestfully and independently in her own home till the end.  Her last day was spent walking around Old Town Alexandria and enjoying food and fun with friends.  She was predeceased by her parents, Erik and Ella Furholmen, and her older brother, Philip Furholmen.  She is survived by her younger brother, David Furholmen; her three children, Natalie Mack, Shannon Earl (Mark), and Eric Mack (Mara); her four grandchildren, Jared Earl (Rachel), Jeffrey Earl (Debbie), Alden Dienethal (Eric), and Nathan Earl (Shayna); and her six great-grandchildren, Evelyn, Sophie, Callum, Isla, Samuel, and Wesley.

Private services for immediate family only will be held on March 3 at a green burial at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.  A celebration of life at her home will follow in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Northwestern University School of Music (Homepage | Northwestern Bienen School of Music), The Jung Society of Washington (Jung Society of Washington - Home), or At Home in Alexandria (At Home in Alexandria).