William Knapp, Sr.

Funeral services for William Russell Knapp, Sr, were held on Wednesday, January 29, at 1 p.m. at the Roeder Mortuary in Omaha. Interment was in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Casket bearers were Adrain Van Overen, Jeff Isom, Ray Lane, Mat Clark, Bill Hollis and Randy Truhlsen.

Dr. Norman Schroeder of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Bennington officiated.

Kanpp, son of Maurice and Mandana (Walker) Knapp, was born July 23, 1924 at Omaha, Nebraska. He attended the Sherman Grade School. “Russell,” as he was known, had worked for the Independent Sheet Metal Works of Omaha.

On September 10, 1953 he was married to Mary Kathryn Pickens at Glenwood, Iowa.

He spent 35 years of his life working for the Union Pacific Railroad as a switchman. He retired in July of 1984.

In 1972 the family moved to the Lakeland Estates south of Blair. Knapp became interested in recycling and hence made a can crusher that he was planning to use.

He died at St. Joseph Hospital on Friday, January 25, 1986 at the age of 61 years, 6 months and one day.

He was preceded in death by his mother and father.

He is survived by his wife, Kathryn of Blair, three sons Michael of Omaha, William Jr., of Blair and Kenneth, Amsterdam, New York; two daughters, Margaret Foley of Omaha, Barbara Dooley of Greybull, Wyoming; eleven grandchildren; one brother, Glen Knapp of Tilllimook, Oregon; three sisters, Dorothy Jackson of Omaha, Winifred Graczyk of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Marjorie Cronin of Anaheim, California, nieces; nephews; other relatives and many friends.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~