Vern Knoop

Vern Thomas Knoop died at the Glendale Adventist Hospital on December 28, 2021 due to complications from prostate cancer. His California family was with him at the time of his passing, which included his sister Alice Gwendola Ward, her daughter Alicia Stevens, and her son Alexander Stevens. He was born November 19, 1932 near the Bethel Baptist Church and the Poplar Ridge school, where he still owned a portion of the farm. Instead of saying he was the youngest of 5 children, he said he was the oldest son. He was the only son and had a readymade family to be part of, which also included his 3 half sisters, Nadine, Vernice, and Maxine. After their mother's death, Vern's father married Nancy Alice Christian. She was the oldest girl in a family of 12, and well prepared for the job. She felt she needed the Lord's help in undertaking this responsibility. She was blessed and the three girls married producing many nieces and nephews. Vern never married and Gwen only had one child. Important to Vern was his selection as Treasurer of the Wattles Family Farm community garden, which had over two hundred plots. He grew vegetables on his plots and especially enjoyed sharing his produce. Vern also had many trophies from the LA Bicycling Marathon that he attended for many years. After graduating from Wellsville High School and Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas (1959), Vern served two years in the Army, deploying to Germany, before moving to California where he had a job as a civil engineer waiting for him. He received recognition for his many outstanding years of service and was much loved and appreciated by his many friends. He was very cooperative and pleasant to be around and was a forgiving person. Late addresses included his home in Glendale, CA, and most recently at Solheim senior community, Los Angeles, CA. He was in the skilled nursing section and was transferred to the Glendale Adventist Hospital from there. Graveside services will be at Scott Valley Cemetery, Hillsdale, KS on Monday, January 17, 2022 at 2pm meet at funeral home at 1pm,under the direction of Dengel & Son Mortuary-Crematory, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola, KS, 66071. Friends and family are encouraged to post their memories and condolences on Vern's tribute wall.