William C. (Bill) Knapp, recently of Staples, Minn., previous of Henning, passed away on February 10, 2024 in Anoka, Minn., following a lengthy illness. Funeral service will be held on Friday, February 16, 2024 at 2 p.m., with visitation one hour prior to service, at Karvonen Funeral Home in Wadena.

Bill was born in New Jersey on September 16, 1941 to Barney and Anna (Eckhoff) Knapp. After graduating from Bergen County Vocational and Technical High School in Hackensack, N.J., he spent two years of service with the Coast Guard. He then worked in the printing business for 12 years before moving to Staples, in 1972 with his parents, where they operated Sunset Motel. He married Janetta Schmidt in 1976.

In January 1978 Bill and Janetta sold the motel and moved to Winthrop, Minn., where they owned and operated a hardware store. They moved to Champlin, Minn., in 1984, where Bill returned to work as a pressman until retirement at which time he moved to Henning. Bill and Janetta welcomed two children to their marriage: Alisa and Brad. Later, they separated, but they always remained friends.

  Bill enjoyed gardening. He spent time volunteering and was active in church. He found many ways to get involved in each community he lived. He was active in town, meeting with people for coffee (even though he didn’t like or even drink coffee), he volunteered in many ways, from driving ambulance to transporting people to doctor appointments and delivering meals on wheels. In his free time, he enjoyed bowling, golf and supporting local sports teams.

Bill is survived by his daughter Alisa (Jordan) Lockman of Maple Grove, Minn.; his son, Brad (Natalie) Knapp of Jacksonville, Fla.; a sister, Karen (DeWayne) Schuster of Owatonna, Minn. and two grandchildren: Max and Anna Lockman and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant son, Brock.

Bill will be laid to rest at Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Staples.