Harriet S. Knepp Obituary (1913 - 2014)

Harriet S. Knepp, 101, of Bloomington and formerly of Kewanee, died at 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at Martin Health Center, Bloomington. Her funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 1, 2014 at Calvary United Methodist Church, Normal, with Rev. K. Bruce Rushing and Rev. Randy Reese officiating. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 1, 2014 at the church. Graveside services will be at 3 p.m. Monday, December 1, 2014 at the Warren County Memorial Park Cemetery in Monmouth, IL. She is survived by a daughter, Carla K. Smith of Bloomington, IL; a son, Jack (Mary) Knepp of Rock Island, IL; five grandchildren Kevin Knepp of Chicago, Paul (Bridget) Knepp of Bettendorf, IA, Molly Knepp of Rock Island, IL, Duane (Kim) Smith of Hortonville, WI, and Doug (Christa) McClain-Smith of Belvidere, IL; and eleven great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Carlton Knepp, who died Nov 7, 1997; a sister, Iradine Sprout Hemp; a brother Loren Sprout; a son, R.G. "Mickey" Knepp; a daughter-in-law, Jeanne Knepp; a son-in-law, Sherwood Smith; and a granddaughter, Sarah Margaret Knepp. Mrs. Knepp was born April 4, 1913 on a farm near Cameron, IL, the daughter of Irvin I. and Mabel Clayton Sprout. She attended Means Grade School and graduated from Monmouth High School. She married Carlton Knepp May 29, 1932 in Chicago at the Chicago Temple (Methodist Church). Moving from Monmouth to Macomb in 1936, she worked with her husband in the Knepps dress shops--then to Canton in 1938 and to Kewanee in 1941 until their retirement on July 1, 1987. Mrs. Knepp had been a member of the Kewanee United Methodist Church since 1942. She served on the Administrative Board and was chairman of Trustees. She was a member of Kewanee Business and Professional Womens Club since 1950, serving two years as local president and one year as president of the State Federation. Mrs. Knepp served on the YMCA board, board of directors of the Salvation Army, member of Friends of the Library and CLIO Club. She was a volunteer at the Kewanee Hospital, keeping the Walmart walker records current.Her interests were, foremost, her family and friends, followed by crafts, reading, traveling, and walking. She walked more than 15,000 miles on the "Fitness Trail" at the Kewanee Walmart Super Center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church of Kewanee, Henry County Senior Citizen Center of Kewanee, local Salvation Army, or to a charity of the donors choice.