Allen and Phyllis KNISLEY

1918 - 2016

KNISLEY, Allen Holmes 4/23/1918 9/28/2016 KNISLEY (Kuder), Phyllis Eileen 4/13/1920 9/11/2016 Married for 71 years, Allen and Phyllis Knisley died within 17 days of one another in Avon, CT. Allen was born on April 23, 1918 near Bainbridge, OH, the son of Floyd and Lona (Holmes) Knisley. Phyllis, the daughter of Clarence and Beatrice (Harger) Kuder, was born on April 13, 1920 in Wood County, OH. They married in 1945 and moved to Fairborn in 1948, where they resided until 2010. Allen retired from the Fairborn City School system in 1982 after 39 years as a teacher, track and cross country coach, assistant high school principal and assistant superintendent. He was inducted into the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003. Phyllis served as an English teacher at Fairborn Central Junior High School and Park Hills High School for 18 years before retiring in 1980. While teaching in Fairborn, she was named a Martha Holden Jennings scholar. In 1968 she received the Lucille Loy Kuck award for excellence in literary expression. As a published poet, she is listed in the Directory of Ohio Creative Writers. A World War II veteran in the European Theater, Allen was commissioned in the field artillery and served as a liaison pilot, earning the Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters as a First Lieutenant. Later, he was a member of the 3rd Armored Division Association, serving as national president in 2002-03. Survivors include four children: Patrick of New York City; Michael of Canton, CT; Timothy of Franklin, TN; and Mary Beth of Aurora, CO; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Also surviving is Allen's sister, Helen Morris, of Blanchester, OH. Burial with military honors will be at Byron Cemetery in Fairborn. Family and friends are invited to a remembrance on Saturday, Nov. 5, starting at 1 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Dayton/Fairborn I-675 at 2800 Presidential Drive. In lieu of flowers, Allen and Phyllis suggested donations to the Fairborn City Schools Hall of Honor Trust Fund, Fairborn City Schools, 306 E. Whittier Ave., Fairborn, OH, 45324.