Washington - Sally Knodell (Sal, Salo, Sal Jo, and SJ) passed away peacefully in Bellevue, Washington in December 2025, as a result of the devastating effects of ALS. Sally lived valiantly, with grace, dignity, and strength, combating this disease for almost two years. Her husband Michael, her friends, and her family will miss her deeply all of their days. Sally brought love, music, creativity, style, sensitivity, and fun to everything she did. Her laughter and smiles would light up the entire room. A close friend remarked, "Sally was an amazing, wonderful person... smart, funny, kind, and talented in so many ways... just a terrific human being and really a role model for us all".... So true.

Sally was born in Illinois in 1960 to loving parents John and Ellen. Over the course of her life, she lived in Illinois, Montana, Colorado, Maryland, Washington, Alaska, Texas, New York, and California, before settling in Seattle in 1985, where she built a rich life of service to others with her beloved husband, Michael.

Sally is survived by her loving husband; her siblings and their spouses; her nieces and nephew and their spouses; her 11 great-nieces and nephews; and her lifelong friends.

Sally completed her Bachelor of Architecture at Cornell University in 1984, which included a year of study in Italy through Syracuse University. She practiced her craft until August 2024. She was a passionate and meticulous architect who worked for a few small Seattle architectural firms before starting work with Jan Gleason, FAIA, in 1993. She joined Jan Gleason in the transition to Environmental Works Community Design Center, a nonprofit organization committed to assisting underserved communities. In 1997, while at Environmental Works, Sally developed an expertise in childcare and community facilities design and led EW's community facilities work, which were a joy for her to be involved with. Partnering with Jan Gleason in 2002, Sally had the opportunity and privilege to use her immense knowledge as lead architect designing child care facilities to co-author a child care facility planning manual for Washington State called "Making a Place for Children." A few noteworthy projects that Sally designed and was involved in as principal architect were Edmonds Waterfront Center, Edmonds, WA, the Blueberry Farm project, Bellevue, WA, and High Point Community Center (Neighborhood House) in West Seattle. In recognition of her many accomplishments, she received AIA Seattle's Community Service Award in 2025.

Close connections with friends were an integral part of Sally's life. Being with Sally made you feel like you were the only person that mattered. During her college years, despite spending the majority of her time in the architecture studio, Sally made many lifelong friends. Upon graduation, Sally chose her friendships to guide her next move, rather than a job search. This choice brought her to San Francisco and ultimately Seattle. In Seattle, her circle of friends grew exponentially through her career as an architect and her love of music.

Being in the company of Sally was a much sought after gift.

Sally was an accomplished singer and guitarist. She was a member of a number of bands over the years: The Heart of Gold Band, Harambe, Sugarbone, Solid Molly, the Straw Hats, and Failure to Disperse, of note. In the last few years, Sally was part of several commercial releases by dime nineteen, a collaboration with her long-time musical compadres Jeff and Dan Thomas, with whom she performed for over 40 years. Her beautiful, strong voice is preserved for eternity on these songs, which you can find on any major streaming platform.

As Michael noted, "Sally's connection to music was incredibly unique and a joy to experience. This was a true, heartfelt love, and was such a huge part of her life. Her eyes would "light up" and she would literally exude this aura of bubbly enthusiasm when she knew she would be getting together to play music.... whenever the opportunity would present itself to play guitar or sing, she wouldn't hesitate. Her love and exuberance playing music would often surpass those who played years longer or were more experienced. It was truly her ultimate joy to be involved with music at any level. This aspect of her life brought an indescribable happiness, fulfillment and joy to her heart, and smiles and laughter to her soul."

We find it meaningful to close with the following card that Sally wrote to Lee Lee, a close friend and music buddy, to lovingly reassure her and express what Lee Lee meant to her while Lee was battling the last stages of a terminal diagnosis of cancer... a true snapshot into Sally's thoughtful, loving character:

"Helllooo Lee Lee, We have had the best, most fun & happy & loving & giggly times together!!! It has been a wonderful, joyous, laughter-filled go of it. Thank you so much for all that you have done, and been, for your community & your friends! For making playing music together so damn much fun! For your thoughtful, genuine & heartfelt presence on all accounts; for your gorgeous, clever vocal harmonies, & for your beautiful, beautiful spirit that I have always felt great pleasure in being near. Don't worry about a thing - all is as it should be & taken care of. And we'll together find ways for our spirits to remain in each other's company."

If you wish to honor Sally's memory with a donation, please consider Neighborhood House (nhwa.org) and the Denise Louie Education Center (deniselouie.org). Sally worked closely with both organizations, which provide early childhood education and other vital support services to low-income, immigrant, and refugee families.