Eunice Koontz

Eunice Carr Koontz died peacefully on Monday, October 10, 2016. She had just celebrated her 87th birthday less than two months earlier. Eunice was a cancer survivor, but her parents and sister were not as fortunate.

She was born in Spartanburg, SC on August 24, 1929. Her son, Jesse, and her parents Harold and Eunice Carr and older sister Ann Allen predeceased her. Her husband, Elias A. Koontz, Jr. (“Dutch”), died on December 27, 2005, after a long illness. He was 81 years old.

Eunice and Dutch (and Kristine) came to Austin early in 1967, soon after Dutch retired from the Army. They each worked in state and university jobs until their retirements in 1990 and 1991. From the 1980's until shortly before Dutch died, they were active in the Austin music scene and relished the friendship of many of the performers. They felt they had found their home.

Eunice is survived by her daughter Kristine Cobb, son-in-law David Cobb and grandsons Ian and Aaron, brother Harold Carr and his family in Tennessee, several cousins, nieces and nephews. Eunice also loved her “musical family of fans and musicians”, especially Liz Henry and Daniel Schaefer who included her in the antics of RhinoRoom del Norte.

Other musician friends include the Blues Specialists from Austin, the Shiner Twins, a group in the Netherlands, and Shiner Twin #1, Jack Hustinx. Eunice and Dutch also had a number of friends who came from Europe to Austin and stayed at her house. Her time spent in the Netherlands for The Shiner Twins’ 10th anniversary concert was a wonderful gift to an 83-year-old fan.

Eunice’s life is to be remembered as a busy one, but always with time for friends, music, food, parties, and red wine.

The lives of both Eunice and Dutch included many special musicians. Erbie Bowser, T. D. Bell, Keith Ferguson and others are welcoming her home. She cherished her life, her faith, her family and friends, but is happy to be at last with Dutch.