Annette Steele Cootes

She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law Heidi and Gary Frock of Round Rock; a son and daughter-in-law Corky and Hara Cootes of Austin; and six grandchildren, Lauren, Rachel, and Katie Frock; Zachary, Nathan, and Jenni Cootes; a brother and sister-in-law Connie and Hattie Dell Steele of Houston; a nephew Frank Steele of League City, TX; and by her life long friends Pat and George Humphries. She is preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, Glenn Cootes, and her parents, Vera and Ancil Steele.

Born on November 16, 1937 in Crosbyton, Texas, Annette found her way to Houston and then Washington D.C. She returned to Austin in 1965 to re-enroll in public relations and advertising communications at the University of Texas. It was during this time that Charles Whitman shot 39 people from the University Tower. She was pinned down behind a vehicle and saw several people die. This experience affected her for many, many years.

Upon completion of her studies, she was hired as the public information officer for the City of Austin and had the honor of working for the Mayor of Austin, city councilmen, and 20 other city departments. One of her proudest accomplishments during this time was working with Lady Bird Johnson on the Town Lake Beautification Project.

Later Annette was hired as the Executive Director of the Austin Association of Teachers. She worked on public relations and organizing and enjoyed it thoroughly for seven years.

In 1977 Annette married Glenn Cootes, the director of communications for the City of Austin and later, co-owner of the marketing firm, Cootes, Ross & Strong. He had two wonderful children, Heidi and Corky, who would later give them six grandchildren, who for years, where the center of their lives.

In 1981, Annette went to work for the Texas State Teachers Association as the statewide public relations coordinator. She became the media spokesperson to the Capitol bureau press corps, as well as to all 1,100 media outlets in Texas. She created TV and radio advertising, brochures, and other public relations activities and received national awards for the “Book Time For Kids” promotion in conjunction with Waldenbooks of Texas. The program was later expanded nationally and today it is called “Read Across America,” a project with Dr. Seuss. Annette also received national awards for “Hit The Books,” a project in conjunction with the Texas Rangers baseball team and had the privilege of traveling extensively in this capacity. In 1999 she was named “PR Person of the Year” at a special banquet in Palm Springs, California. The PR Council of the States of the National Education Association gave the prestigious award. In 2002 Annette retired.

Annette traveled far and wide but loved Austin and Paris best of all. She spent a lot of time with friends, attending grandchildren events, and volunteering. She assisted the Red Cross for weeks during the Katrina and Rita hurricane evacuations and was a proud supporter for the rights of women.

If Annette were still with us she would say: Take care, love to you all, and “Hook ‘em Horns!”.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 6th at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, North Lamar.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Safe Place, P.O. Box 19454, Austin, TX 78760 or to Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759.