John Knoll

John W. Knoll of Klamath Falls, Ore., formerly of Ludlow, died in Medford, Ore. on Aug. 17, 2006. He was 68. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006, at 11 a.m. at the United Evangelical Free Church, 3333 Beverly Dr. in Klamath Falls. A luncheon reception will follow. Interment will follow the reception at Eternal Hills Memorial Gardens. Viewing will be held at Eternal Hills Funeral Home on Friday, Aug. 25, 2006 from 1 to 7 p.m. Mr. Knoll was born August 11, 1938, in Dos Palos, Calif., to Harold and Mayme (Johnston) Knoll. He spent his early years in Catalina Island, San Diego and Del Mar. During his early years, he enjoyed spending time playing on the beach and fishing with his older brother, Harold. John was a very inquisitive and resourceful young person where he mowed lawns and started his own businesses. During elementary and junior high, he loved raising show dogs and parakeets. He was always interested in collecting stamps, raising bees and farming. He graduated from Herbert Hoover High School, where he played football. It was on a football scholarship that John attended Utah State and, for his final year, Cal Poly, Pomona. John later moved to Harvard, where the family worked together to develop a farm raising alfalfa and cattle. He was one of the first individuals to bring the pistachio tree for cultivation to the Mojave Desert. On Feb. 22, 1970, John married Paulette Miller at the Congregational Church in Barstow. John drove a truck for Yellow Freight System for seven years before being blessed to be able to, along with his extended family, purchase a small town in the Mojave Desert named Ludlow. John enjoyed building the business which consisted of several gas stations, a convenience store, a restaurant, a motel, tow trucks and, many years later, a Dairy Queen and an additional convenience store. As the years passed, he dreamed of moving to Klamath Falls to pursue his interest in agriculture. He moved his family to Klamath Falls in 1986 where he began raising grain and cattle. He loved attending church and participating in the choir. John was always active and enjoyed the outdoors. From camping, boating, hiking, fishing, rafting, snow skiing and bicycling. John looked forward to family ski trips to Colorado and Utah and spending time with his friends the Watson's at Lake Mojave. John moved back to Ludlow after spending four years in Klamath Falls. There he developed a chronic illness called Primary Amyloidosis; he received a stem cell transplant from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 2002. After recovering there for two months, John returned to Klamath Falls. He struggled with the illness for the last six years of his life but looked to his Heavenly Father for guidance and strength through some of the most challenging years of his life physically, emotionally and mentally. All the while his faith never wavered and storing up treasures in heaven continued to be what was most important to him Survivors include his wife, Brenda Paulette Knoll; sons, Barron Knoll and Grant Knoll; and daughter, Cherish Trebi-Ollennu. He is also survived by his mother, Mayme Knoll of San Diego; his younger sister, Sandra Elliott, who also lives in San Diego; and his older brother, Harold W. Knoll Jr., who resides in Ludlow. John was a proud grandfather of four, Kaylee, Caleb, Kelsey Lynn and Anna. Eternal Hills Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.