Charles ""Chuck"" Knoll

Charles ""Chuck"" Knoll, 86, of Denver died December 23, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Mary Frances; children, John (Oneida) Knoll, Michael (Molly) Knoll, Mary Ann Campbell, Brian (Shari) Knoll, Kevin (Terry) Knoll, and Mary Jane (Mike) Meer; grandchildren, Caleb (Amber) Knoll, Luke Knoll, Esther Knoll, Rachel Campbell, Andrew Campbell, Jacinda (Nicholas) Shelly, David (Heather) Knoll, Joshua Knoll, Christopher Knoll, Stephen Knoll, Emily Knoll, Cierra Meer, Michael Meer; and sisters, Genevieve (Don) Studebaker, and Carol (Virgil) Wagner. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Rosemary (Ross) Campbell and Frances (William) Trevethick as well as his grandson, Benjamin Campbell. Charles ""Chuck"" Knoll was born October 25, 1926 in Gardner, Colorado to Charles and Mildred (Melia) Knoll. He attended grammar school in Gardner with his mother as the teacher in a one room school house. Chuck joined the army after high school. He served in the 11th Airborne Division from 1944 until 1946. He was stationed in Japan as part of the occupation forces. After his discharge Chuck spent a few months waiting to be cleared by the VA hospital. He worked in a gold mine owned by a friend's family near Mt. Evans in Colorado, mining and stockpiling high-grade ore. He attended Colorado A&M in Ft. Collins where he met his wife, Mary Frances. He was an officer of the Newman Club and graduated with an Industrial Construction Management degree in 1951. Chuck and Mary Frances were married on August 20, 1951 in Casper, Wyoming and enjoyed 61 years of marriage. Together they raised six wonderful children. Chuck worked at Gates Rubber Company in Denver from 1951-1987. Many early family reunions were held at the Gates picnics that started at Lakeside Amusement park and finished in his back yard. He was the Manager of the Hose Test Lab at Gates for the majority of his career before he retired. Chuck was a committee head of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Registered Professional Engineer-State of Colorado (PE), and was a member of the Progress Club and the Technical Club at Gates Rubber. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Chuck purchased his first and only motorcycle during the first oil embargo of the 70's. The motorcycle was used exclusively by his sons after his first minor crash. Chuck loved to play softball, bowl and play cards during his younger years. He was exceptionally good at poker and enjoyed playing bridge weekly with Mary Frances and Phil and Gloria Riley. He was always ready to play cards with the family, including ""Crazy Eights,"" ""Cribbage,"" ""Russian Rummy,"" and ""Hand & Foot"". He played poker on Friday nights with fellow employees from Gates. He was an avid sports fan and held the Broncos, Rockies, and CSU Rams close to his heart. He attended many hockey, Broncos and Rockies games when he was able to. Later you could always find him in his easy chair on game day. Chuck was an expert in the southern Colorado history and was part of the Colorado Historical Society. He and his sister Carol compiled an extensive Knoll family tree. Chuck's greatest joy came when he could see his children and grandchildren together. Visitation, Wednesday January 2, 2013, 4-6pm, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Rosary, Thursday January 3, 2013, 10:00am; Funeral Mass, 10:30am, both at St. Mary Catholic Church, 6853 S. Prince St. Interment, Ft. Logan National Cemetery. Please share your memories of Chuck and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.