Katie Nicole Wittekind

1982 - 2023

Katie Nicole (Brizendine) Wittekind

Katie Nicole (Brizendine) Wittekind, lost her life far too soon on May 14, 2023 at the age of 40 doing what she loved with the ones she loved in the great outdoors of her hometown of Flagstaff, AZ. She leaves behind her cherished and loving family: her husband, James Michael Wittekind, and two sons, Aiden James Wittekind and Weston James Wittekind. Katie is also survived by her parents, David Allen Brizendine and Catherine Ann Brizendine, her sister, Kelly Ann Finfrock, a niece and new baby nephew, and many more family members and dear friends.

Katie was born on August 18, 1982 – the same day as her sister Kelly's 8th birthday – to Catherine and David Brizendine in Enid, Oklahoma. Her family relocated to Tucson, Arizona in 1991, where she spent the rest of her childhood. After Katie graduated from Mountain View High School in 2000, she moved to Flagstaff to study Psychology and Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University, graduating with Honors in 2004.

Throughout Katie's career, she consistently pursued opportunities that were aligned with her passion to help others. Katie was a yoga instructor, a wellness consultant, and spent a decade developing and implementing wellness programs for numerous local government agencies. To broaden her knowledge and expand opportunities to make a difference, in 2017, Katie pursued a Master's Degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. At the time of her passing, Katie was applying this degree and doing what she truly loved – working as a facilitator, coach, trainer, writer, and strategist for Lancaster Leadership. She also ran and operated her own coaching consulting business, Katie Wittekind Coaching, where she helped people improve outcomes in health, wellness, and company culture.

Katie loved her family above all else, always carving out time for family activities, like weekly rock-climbing dates with Weston, and family game nights. For those fortunate enough to have crossed Katie's path, it was eminently clear that she had extraordinary qualities, well beyond the norm….a woman who was fearless, confident, and a force to be reckoned with. She was also very loving and a loyal friend to many, and lit up a room with her infectious smile and zest for life. Katie was unwilling, and frankly unable, to let the status quo rest. She strove to seek out the absolute best, in people, in processes, in life. Her self-described life mission was to learn, evolve, laugh, question everything, learn some more, and have fun. She was a beacon for positivity, love, and deeper consciousness. Katie's breadth and depth of impact on the world and people in it is immeasurable, and will live on forever. But, sadness and weeping would not serve her well. She would like have us invite each other in for tea, face the situation with courageousness, and honesty, and remember her for the strong and magnificent woman she was.

A celebration of life will be held on May 31 at 7 PM at the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff and all who are inspired to attend are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Flagstaff Shelter Services: https://flagshelter.org/donate/.

To share a story about Katie, visit https://www.lancasterleadership.com/in-honor-of-katie/.