Leonard F. Knobbs, age 84, passed away on December 17, 2020 after a brief battle with COVID. Born in Philadelphia, Len was the son the late Leonard D. Knobbs and the late Mabel Hood Knobbs, the devoted husband of Barbara J. Zegarski Knobbs for sixty-five years, the loving father of Leonard F. Knobbs, Jr. (Mary), Raymond “Bear” Knobbs (Lauren), Barbara Macready (Andrew), Stephen “Cubby” Knobbs (Cindi), the late Robert Knobbs, Kathleen Coleman (Steven), and Michael Knobbs (Angel), the proud grandfather of 23 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild, and the beloved brother of Margaret Mudrick (Walter) and the late Sister Catherine Knobbs, SSJ.
Born on January 20, 1936, Len was raised in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. He was a proud graduate of St. Anne Grade School (Class of 1949) and Northeast Catholic High School (Class of 1953).
In 1955, he married the love of his life, Barbara. They resided in St. Martin of Tours Parish and raised their seven children there. He enjoyed traveling with his “bride”, taking photographs of his large family, and sharing memories with his loved ones.
In 1956, Len entered the Philadelphia Fire Department and quickly moved up the ranks. In 1982, he retired as a Battalion Chief after 26 years of service. The next twenty years, he spent with Police & Fire Medical Enterprises, Inc. where he served as Executive Vice President and CFO prior to his retirement. He attended Penn’s Wharton Evening School; subsequently, he attended courses sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Programs and the American Management Association and was a member of both organizations. He was a charter member of the Chief Financial Officers’ Association and a past president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Administrators Association.
Len was a proud and devoted member of Northeast Catholic Alumni Association. He was elected to the Board of Governors in 1956 and since has chaired or served on every committee of the Association. At the 2007 Communion Breakfast, he was presented with a plaque for fifty years of service to the Association. In 1978, Len was named an Outstanding Alumnus, and in 1979, was one of fifty men honored by the Association on the occasion of the Association’s fiftieth anniversary celebration. In 1991, Len was inducted into the NECHS Hall of Fame.
Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing on Monday January 4th from 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM in St. Martin of Tours Church 5450 Roosevelt Boulevard. Please park in the church parking lot located behind St. Martin's. Len's funeral mass will begin at 11 AM and his interment will be held in Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks for donations to made to Northeast Catholic Alumni Association Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 7005, Philadelphia, PA 19149-0005.
Due to the current pandemic please wear your mask, and the funeral home staff will be guiding you into the church socially distant and keeping you safe. Arrangements by McCafferty Sweeney Slabinski Barnes Funerals and Cremations of Torresdale Avenue, John Barnes Supervisor, 215.333.0500. For further information or to share your fondest memories of Len please visit PhillyFunerals.com
