William “Bill” E. Knaack died of a stroke after a brief illness in Rocklin, Calif. He was 81 years old.
He was born in Seattle, Wash. in 1923 and spent his youth on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula from 1938 to 1942 before being drafted into the service.
He spent four years in the Navy and served in WWII as an Electronic Instrument Specialist for the Naval Air Force in Jacksonville, Fla.
Follwing the war he attended the University of Washington and graduated from Western Washington with a Bachelor’s in Education.
He was a resident of Rocklin for the past four years and Hollister resident since 1954, after he visited the Monterey area.
He taught elementary and junior high school in the Hollister school district for two years and the Gilroy Unified School District from 1956 to 1978. He also taught at Gavilan College from 1979 to 1995 specializing in education programs supporting the Hope Service Centers in both Gilroy and Hollister.
He is survived by Betty Knaack, his wife of 10 years, of Rocklin; brother Norman Knaack of Edmunds, Wash; daughter Patrice Kuerschner and husband, Doug, of Hollister; step-daughter Cindy Biesemeyer and husband, Allan, of Hollister; step-son Doug Fields and wife, Laura, of Concord; grandchildren Doug and Keis Kuerschner, Ryan and Desi Fields, Tod Biesemeyer and Allacyn Spears; and great granddaughter Serena Kuerschner.
He was preceded in death by his son Donald Knaack.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday July 20 at Presbyterian First Church. Donations are preferred to the American Heart Association.
