William “Billy” Rodriguez and the late Blaine Knous, who passed away in 2024 after a courageous battle with cancer, are leaving a legacy of impact through CFT that will last long beyond both their lifetimes.
Partners for 14 years, Billy and Blaine met at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where Billy sang in the choir and Blaine served as an usher. Billy and Blaine have been service-minded their entire lives — Blaine through his support of students and after-school programs, and Billy through his volunteerism with local nonprofits.
Billy first learned about CFT through his service on several nonprofit boards, including Reading & Radio Resource, a nonprofit that provided audio access to printed material for those with blindness or with barriers to reading. The nonprofit created the Reading Resource Fund at CFT in 2015 after the sale of their building to continue furthering their mission for decades to come, and Billy then served on the fund’s advisory board at CFT.
“One of the things I love about our city is that Dallas welcomes everyone to be part of its culture of generosity. No matter who you are, or how you arrived here, there’s an opportunity to give back. When I first moved here, I was told, ‘If you’re going to live in Dallas, you’ve got to give in Dallas,’” said Billy.
In 2023, while caring for Blaine during his cancer treatments, Billy attended a planned giving event with Resource Center and heard from CFT fundholders and Live Oak Society members Andy Smith and Paul von Wupperfeld about their commitment to supporting nonprofits through their estate in partnership with CFT. Their story inspired him. At the time, Billy and Blaine had just offered a matching gift to Resource Center during Pride Month to help double donations.
Billy began exploring a bequest to support Resource Center, and their staff encouraged him to work with CFT to structure the gift of complex assets. As members of CFT’s legacy society, the Live Oak Society, they named CFT as a beneficiary in their estate plan, ensuring their values would be carried forward alongside 250 other individuals and couples whose legacies CFT stewards.
“It was a blessing to work together before Blaine passed to identify the causes our legacy would support,” said Billy. Together they chose to support LGBTQIA+ causes via Resource Center as their primary beneficiary, along with causes they’ve both supported throughout their lives: animals, economic and financial security, education (including literacy at the elementary school level), and environment and conservation.
Blaine, a beloved physical education teacher at Dallas ISD’s John F. Peeler Elementary School for 16 years, loved animals, gardening, running, and reading. In his honor, friends and family funded a book vending machine, memorial garden, and student running club at Peeler Elementary to commemorate his passions.
“Blaine had such a nurturing way in all that he did. This was true even when he gardened. He loved to go to Lowe’s to buy withering plants and nurture them back to life,” said Billy, who served on the Board of the Trinity River Audubon Center for many years, including a term as board chair.
Billy retired at age 50 from a career in commercial real estate finance. He furthers his passion for supporting financial literacy by volunteering with Foundation Communities to help people in need file and amend their tax returns, where he is especially helpful in supporting Spanish speakers.
He also now tutors math at the elementary school where Blaine taught to further honor Blaine’s impact on the lives of so many. “It’s been so helpful to me to be surrounded by people Blaine worked with, and in getting to know some of the students that he mentored,” said Billy.
Leaving a legacy during such profound loss, Billy shared, has helped memorialize their shared commitment to helping others, while also aiding in his own grieving and healing.
Learn more about legacy planning and CFT’s Live Oak Society here.
DID YOU KNOW? It is estimated that two-thirds of Americans do not have a formal estate plan. At CFT, we’ve seen firsthand the significant benefit that planned gifts have on expanding impact. Planned giving offers donors a way to honor a loved one, create a family legacy for the next generation, and provide perpetual support for one or more favorite organizations, all while helping meet future community needs.
This story was originally featured in our 2025 annual report. For additional details and content, click here.
