Marie Barnhart Hightower Hudson

Marie Hudson, formerly of Austin, passed away at her home in the Boulder area on June 9th, after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. Marie is an Austin native and daughter of the late Bobby and Cindy Barnhart.

During her years in Austin, Marie attended Highland Park Elementary, Lamar Jr. High—where she was a cheerleader—and graduated from McCallum in the class of 1967. She later received her degree and teaching certification from UT Austin in 1971.

Over her professional career, she taught elementary school, she served as the first woman Sergeant-at-Arms of the Texas Senate (having been elected and confirmed by the Texas Senate), and she worked as a staff member in the United States Congress. For more than a decade, Marie joined her husband Michael as a political consultant for organizations including Planned Parenthood, The Children’s Defense Fund, and People for the American Way. In addition to her many years in Austin, she lived and worked in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and in the Boulder area since 1993.

Marie was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988 and received treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. She was re-diagnosed in 1992 at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and required surgery. Following treatment and for more than 15 years, Marie believed she was cancer-free. In July 2008, however, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

She received numerous rounds of chemotherapy and loving care at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center in Boulder. Sadly, she learned in May that the cancer had spread to her liver. She began receiving home hospice care from Boulder Valley Hospice, thus ending her brave and tireless 23-year battle to become a true cancer survivor.

Marie is survived by a wealth of caring and devoted family and friends including her husband of 35 years, Michael, who has been by her side throughout the cancer battle; her son, Jeff Hightower, Jr., who lives with his wife Jill and recently born first child, Henry, in Dallas; her eldest daughter, Lauryn Hudson Edwards, who lives with her husband Clint Edwards and their eight-month-old son, Hudson, in San Diego; her youngest daughter, Meredyth, who lives with her husband Andy Wohlgenant and their two young children Kort and Tessa, in Dallas. She is also survived by her older brother Bobby Barnhart, Jr. of Durham, Maine, and younger brother Thomas Barnhart of Austin. Finally, she was blessed to have additional family in the Austin area and a great number of close and loving friends across the country.

Perhaps the most common description of Marie posted on her CaringBridge website by scores of friends was that “she has always been the most beautiful girl and woman, both on the outside and inside.” Likewise, her family recognizes and celebrates that she was the very best wife and partner, mother, daughter and friend.

A memorial service to celebrate Marie’s life will be held at the Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home at 3125 N. Lamar Blvd. at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 18th. Dress is casual, please.

Contributions in her name may be made to the Austin Humane Society.