Idore Anschell

Helen Idore Anschell of Seattle passed away on January 26, 2022 at the age of 87. She was predeceased by her parents, Sidney and Helen Anschell, her brothers Cleveland, Girard and Grove, and her sister Sydney. She is survived by daughter Elaine (John Seasholtz), grandson Max, step-grandchildren Julian and Hazel, and many loving nephews and nieces.

Idore was born in Cleveland, and after a brief period in Japan was raised in Seattle. She spent one year in high school in Paris with her sister and parents which was one of her fondest memories. After stints at Reed College and Monterey Peninsula College, she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Washington.

Idore was always a creative entrepreneur, adventurer and writer. She ran a tour guide service during the Seattle World’s fair, drove a taxi in downtown Seattle, taught English in Beijing and Taiwan for several years and served as a teachers’ aide for the Seattle Public Schools. In her 70’s Idore pursued an M.F.A. in writing and was a published poet and writer of children’s stories who often participated in Seattle-area open mike poetry events. She also founded and hosted a popular digital writing contest called “100 Words or Fewer.”

Idore handled adversity with tenacity, a sense of humor, curiosity and openness that made her friends in every generation and across many cultures. She was one of a kind and will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to go to the Hugo House- A Place for Writers: www.hugohouse.org

A memorial graveside service will be held on Sunday, March 20, at 1:00 pm Pacific time and may be viewed online at: https://www.facebook.com/ButterworthFuneral

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the Anschell family.