Sharyle 'Shar' Knutson, former state AFL-CIO head, dies at 72

Called a trailblazer, a pioneer and a fierce advocate for working people, Sharyle Jean "Shar" Knutson wasn't one to shrink from a challenge.

As the first woman elected president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO in 2009, Knutson was a key player in the fight to increase the state's minimum wage and helped fend off attacks on organized labor. Along the way, she mentored men and women in the labor movement.

But to her daughters, Becky Kallhoff of St. Paul and Jennifer Thompson of Mahtomedi, Knutson was a devoted mom and grandmother with a sweet spot for animals, a gardener of exquisite skill, a creator of handsewn bridesmaid gowns and a sublime alto.

"One of my memories is standing next to her in church and hearing her beautiful voice," Kallhoff said.

Knutson, 72, of St. Paul, died Feb. 2 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

She grew up in Fridley in a union household, playing piano and starring in high school plays such as "Bye Bye Birdie." Once she began her working life, the single mother of two "really worked her way up," Thompson said.

Knutson was a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union while working in St. Paul's public health department. St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel hired her as a mayoral assistant and labor policy analyst.

In the early 1990s, Knutson went to work for the Trades and Labor Assembly, now the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, where she was elected president in 1998. She was a leader in a coalition of labor unions and community groups that quashed a move by St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman to privatize services provided by city workers, preserving scores of union jobs.

When then-state Rep. Betty McCollum first ran for Congress in 2000, Knutson co-hosted a "Working Women for Betty" campaign kickoff event. "Her steadfast support and encouragement was instrumental in helping candidates like me," McCollum said in a statement.

The two became lifelong friends, and in 2010 Knutson was McCollum's guest for President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.

The year before that, Knutson had been elected president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, the umbrella organization for the state's labor unions with some 300,000 members. She became a familiar figure at the State Capitol at a time when labor unions were under attack by Republican lawmakers across the country.

Knutson was known for building "lasting bridges between unions, faith, and nonprofit groups to improve the lives of working people and families," said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham, in a statement.

"While Minnesota's labor movement grieves for our union sister, we celebrate and build on her work to create a more just and inclusive labor movement," she added.

After retiring in 2015, Knutson embraced her love of travel — to Mexico, Ireland and on yearly ski trips with women friends. She spent more time in her St. Paul backyard, growing native plants and tending to her rose bushes. "Gardening was a way to be outdoors, and she loved her flowers," Kallhoff said.

"She continually reminded us we were smart and independent," Kallhoff added. "She always said, 'You are enough as you are.' "

Besides her daughters, Knutson is survived by a sister, Barbara Hitzeman, and brother, Lee Hitzeman, both of Shoreview, and six grandchildren. A memorial service is planned for this spring.