Rene E Lagrange

Rene E. Lagrange loving and wise Husband, Father, and Grandfather passed away peacefully on March 27, 2020. He was 77 years old.

Rene was born on August 8, 1942 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at West Allis Hospital. His mother was named Consuelo and his father, also named Rene Lagrange, was from Mexico City, D.F. whose job at Allis Chalmers required travel throughout the United States. Rene was raised in Mexico City, in the Colonia Roma neighborhood. He loved riding his bike, reading, and playing with his siblings and cousins. Rene was very close to his Grandmother, Mama Chelito, who played a large part in raising him and whom he loved dearly.

Because he was born an American citizen, he decided to take advantage of that citizenship and left Mexico City at 16 years old for an adventure of a lifetime. His first stop was Los Angeles. He knew no English and learned by taking jobs in restaurants as a dishwasher, then became a waiter. He worked in Los Angeles for several years, traveled to Europe and visited Mexico often. He came to Seattle in 1962. He always said that he arrived when they were "sweeping the grounds" after the Seattle World's Fair. He worked as a waiter in Seattle for over 30 years at restaurants (that no longer exist) such as, The Tiki Hut, The Hilton, The Mirabeau, and Lofurno's. Rene met his beautiful, kind and loving wife, Clarissa in Seattle, and had two children. With his family, he enjoyed summer road trips from Seattle to Mexicali, Mexico in Chevy Suburbans. When a tire blew, he would fix it himself and call AAA as a last resort. After he left the restaurant industry, he started his one-man handyman business in where he liked to call himself a "micro contractor". He had the most solid work ethic and instilled that in his children. He was always the hardest worker in the room.

Rene was an avid collector of all things, some treasure and some junk. He was a wheeler and dealer, buyer and seller and loved every minute of it. He had a knack for knowing when something was worth money and when something was garbage. He loved to thrift shop, garage sale and tinker around the house. He would always say, "Everything is for sale except my family". Outside contractors were never called to the house he lived in for 50 years. He enjoyed remodeling it and fixing anything in it. He had quite a green thumb and anything he planted grew. He loved Seattle and said the weather in Seattle is the most perfect in the world. He especially loved the wind and rain. Rene was the most generous soul. He was always gifting things to people, and loved feeding and putting together food for anyone that came to the house. He even loved feeding the birds. He once gave someone the shirt off his back - literally. With his generosity, he would never expect anything in return. He was quite the foodie, and savored every bite of food he put in his mouth. His wife, Clarissa is an amazing cook, and he enjoyed all of her delicious cooking especially her mole and soups. He always tried to outdo himself with eating the hottest peppers and offering people $1 if they would take just one bite. He would talk about how you can put anything into a tortilla and it will always be good. Even though he left Mexico at a young age, he was a Mexican at heart. Rene was hilarious, silly, charming and very intelligent. He was a goofball, that made many laugh. He treated everyone with respect, and was wise beyond his years. He had more integrity than most people, and enjoyed being good to people and helping people. He loved poetry, philosophy and prayed often. He read many, many books in his life, and always said that "books are the best source of knowledge". One of his favorite authors was Erich Fromm. Rene was constantly thankful and grateful for what God gave him, and always put his family first. He was gracious and had impeccable manners. He believed in being a noble and decent person. He was a gentleman that was truly special and unique. No one who met Rene forgot his kind heart, witty charm, sparkly green eyes, distinguished accent, distinct views on society and the world, and love for chit chat. He truly had a passion for life, and enjoyed every second of it without fear and a constant positive attitude. He feared nothing! He treasured his wife and 2 children and worked hard to provide for them with love. He truly is in heaven.

Those left that will cherish his memory are his lovely wife, Clarissa Lagrange whom he was married to for 50 years; his son, Andre Lagrange, grandchildren Logan and Ameliah; daughter, Flavia Lagrange and Mark Hoene, his son-in-law.

A gathering to celebrate Rene will be held when people are allowed to gather again.

Please sign the online guest book and leave your email address, so you can be contacted with date and details.

Hoffner Fisher & Harvey

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