Colette Rose Marie Knisely

Colette Rose Marie Knisely, of Austin, Texas, was born on April 7, 1954, to William Hagerman Knisely and Marguerite Marie Knisely (nee Labasse) in Charleston, South Carolina. She passed away on September 29, 2015 of atypical/early onset dementia. She is survived by her brothers and sisters: Chantal Patton (Harlan); Marc Knisely (Barbara); Paul Knisely (Nanou); and Philip Knisely; nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces and cousins. She will also be remembered by many friends: Jetta Todaro (at times Lucy, at times Ethel over 43 years); Angie and Kevin Connolly; Linda and Bill Carson; Kelly Riddell; Virginia Ellis, Paul Schnitt, and many others who love and cherish her. Friends, colleagues and acquaintances enjoyed her intellect, her voice and music, her quiet affection, sense of whimsy, puns, and wicked sense of humor.

Colette also lived in Durham, North Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; and East Lansing Michigan. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in government in 1975 and from the LBJ School of Public Affairs with a Masters in Public Affairs in 1978. She worked at the Department of Welfare following graduation. Colette became a legislative aide in the Texas State Legislature where she supported both a democrat and a republican (yes) researching past, current and future laws. As a result of their intimate knowledge of the legislative process, she and friend and colleague, Rebecca Lightsey, founded Legislative Intent Research, a business that provided detailed research on the history of laws for 27 years.

Colette's passion was being present for those less fortunate through her generosity and her incredible gift for sharing life and lessening burdens by her intensity and capacity to listen, organize, and dream up ideas to make things better. Activities included serving on a community advisory committee mandated by the federal government during the 1980s Austin school district integration, writing grants, and serving on the boards of the former Child and Family Service (now LifeWorks), and the Texas Consumer Association. For almost 10 years, she and a friend sang at a quarterly Hospice Austin memorial service.

Colette wrote poetry, short stories, and music and was an accomplished musician and singer playing the string bass beginning in the 7th grade, earning accolades at the state level in orchestra in high school. She taught herself the guitar and, at 19, directed the music group of the Catholic Student Center as well as sang at coffee houses and at life's momentous occasions for family and friends.

Colette often challenged her shyness and introversion to share her gifts and talents with others. Besides being a musician who loved a wide range of music from symphony and orchestra, folk and musicals, to opera, she was a superior wordsmith and reader. She loved viewing the larger world through the lens of politics and was as engaged and delighted when her eye was drawn to the tiniest of ladybugs and dirt bugs on the windowsill or sidewalk. She was as comfortable being brought to the floor of the Texas Senate to assist in providing background on a bill, as she was when squirrels would take pecans from her hand or when she fed roll-up bugs to frogs from her fingertips. To the very end of her illness, she demonstrated gratitude to those who were helping her with what she couldn't do: smiles; unexpected kisses; hugs; little pats on the shoulder; and the simple words "thank you."

A celebration of her life will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7th at the University Catholic Center, 2010 University Avenue with her friend, Reverend Michael McGarry of Boston, MA, officiating.

Enough gratitude can't be expressed to Julie Todaro; Lise Wilson; Rebecca Melancon; Sean Thornton and Anne Walker of RedBud HomeCare Services; her caregivers and new friends during her long journey including: Lydia Avila; Rosa Alexander; Rosann Cordova; Brenda Perez; Veronique Dorulas; Maria Enriques; Nicole Estrada; Lathersia Hargers; Mary Sass; Monica Signorelli; Dorothy Winnick; Kenya Xavier; Camila Ybarra; her loving friends at the St. Matthew's Tuesday program; the caring staff at Hospice Austin, as well as the expertise and kindness of Laura Eisenberg, and Patrick Nolan, M.D. and Josh Kagan.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to those she supported and who supported her: the Southern Poverty Law Center (www.spicenter.org); the Carter Center (www.cartercenter.org); Hospice Austin (www.hospiceaustin.org); or the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds/gift_fund.htm.