Richard Knutson,
age 83, of Valparaiso, IN, passed away July 15, 2017, following a courageous
battle with a lengthy illness.
Richard was born in
Chicago, IL, on January 3, 1934, to the late Virgil and Ruth (O’Keefe)
Knutson.
He is survived by
his loving wife of 63 years, Shirley (Foley) Knutson of Chesterton; son, Tim
(Donna) Knutson of Colorado Springs, CO; daughters, Lori Kubiak of
Valparaiso, IN, and Tammy (Dale) Banghart of Chesterton, IN; brother, Dave (Ena)
Knutson of California; sister, Cheryl Weatherholt-Mattix of Maryland;
grandchildren, Eric (Krystal), Mandy (Chris), Cassie, Kyler, Matt (Lisa),
Heather and Daniel; great-grandchildren, Graham, Vivian and Cora. Richard is
also survived by many loving nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in
death by his son-in-law, Mike Kubiak.
Richard retired as
Principal of South Haven Elementary School. His long journey with education
and pursuit of knowledge began when he graduated from Liberty High School in
1952; he went on to obtain his undergraduate at Valparaiso University in
1956; a Master’s in Education from Indiana University in 1962 and finally
his Administrators License from Purdue University. He loved education,
especially history. He was a lifelong educator, serving at several county
schools throughout his career. Early in his career he also proudly worked on
major construction in the Chicagoland area as a Journeyman Iron Worker.
Richard was an avid outdoorsman, camper and traveler. He was a lifelong
birder enthusiast and was an active supporter of the Westchester Bird
Sanctuary.
Richard was a
founding member of Faith Memorial Lutheran Church. He was a board member for
the Boys & Girls Club of Porter County and Porter County Parks
Foundation; a member of the Hobart Elks Club; Ballroom Dancing
Group; Birding Association and the Audubon Society. He was always very
involved in the community and stayed busy sharing his talents with others.
Funeral Service
will be held on Friday, July 21, 2017, at 11:00 am at Faith Memorial Church,
753 N. Calumet Rd., Valparaiso, IN. Interment will follow at Graceland
Cemetery.
Visitation will be
held on Thursday, July 20, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at Edmonds &
Evans Funeral Home, 517 Broadway, Chesterton, IN.
Memorial donations
may be made to Porter County Conservation Trust, Inc., P.O. Box 797,
Chesterton, IN 46304 or
www.gofundme.com/westchesterbird-org.