Lucas James Knudson

Lucas James Knudson was born on April 1, 2007, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota to Brian and Renae Knudson of Corcoran, Minnesota. Luke walked into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on November 17, 2024, at the age of 17. Luke was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Julian and Jeannette Rhude of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, and maternal great uncle, Rodney Rhude of Elk Mound, Wisconsin.
Luke is survived by his parents, Brian and Renae Knudson of Corcoran, Minnesota; two sisters, Julia and Lauren of Corcoran, Minnesota; beloved yellow labs, Daisy and Millie; paternal grandparents, Jim and Ruth Valerius of Brainerd, Minnesota; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Luke was a senior at Orono High School in Long Lake, Minnesota and planned to attend college in the fall of 2025.
Luke was a special boy from a very early age. He adored his mother and loved being held by her, twirling her hair with his fingers. As a young boy, he was extremely imaginative, and would play with his toys for hours – particularly his Skylanders and Lego figurines – often by himself, crashing them together in vocal destruction. He was also passionate about dinosaurs and would page through his many books on the various species. Often his bedtime reading, Luke would remember arcane facts on unique species and later recite them while reenacting a dinosaur battle.
Luke spent his entire school life in the Orono school district. Again, early on, it was clear that Luke was special. He absolutely loved school and cried while leaving on the last day of kindergarten because he was going to miss his friends and his teachers over the summer. He cherished the social aspect of school. A common theme in Luke's parent teacher conferences was his "gift of gab" – he loved to talk, but he formed special relationships with so many students and teachers over the years that no one wanted to fully suppress that amazing characteristic.
Luke was also an outstanding student; not just academically, he was a model of the pillars of character that are the foundation of the Orono school district. A compassionate soul, Luke participated in Orono Unified and Letters of Love, which allowed him to care for and bring happiness to others in the community. Like others, Luke spent the first months of his senior year pouring over college essays and applications. He applied to many different colleges, and while he had not yet decided where he would attend, it was clear that Luke was extremely excited for the next chapter of his life. He planned to major in finance, study abroad and wanted to become an investment banker.
Over the years, Luke cherished weekend visits with his family to their cabin in Brainerd. Luke's paternal grandparents and aunt and uncle lived nearby, and precious family memories were made over the years with his parents, sisters, cousins, grandparents and aunts/uncles from both sides of the family. Luke also hosted countless "cabin weekends" with his friends (and, many times, his friends' families) where deep relationships were developed with so many friends and families. Luke was always up for a good game of cornhole, whiffle ball or to captain an innertube or paddle board shared by one too many people – many laughs and much fun was had by all. Basketball battles on a beat-up old hoop, played with a weathered volleyball, consumed many, many hours with friends and family.
A large part of Luke's life was his passion for playing sports. It started with t-ball and soccer, which yielded to football, basketball and baseball after starting school. Always one of the smallest kids on the team, Luke made up for his small stature with scrappiness, craftiness and smarts, which always landed him on the top teams despite his size. Basketball became Luke's real passion, which was passed down from his mom and his sisters, and he stopped playing baseball and football to focus on basketball.
Luke was a special basketball player; naturally blessed with unique moves and an amazing level of craftiness that set him apart from others. Coming off the bench, he became a critical part of the 2023-24 Orono basketball team that made it to the state tournament. He was excited to be a starter in his senior year, playing with a core group of very talented seniors (and his best friends) who had grown up playing together for so many years – a group with big goals and dreams for the upcoming season.
While Luke loved competing in sports, what he loved most about sports was being a teammate and the relationships he developed with his coaches and his teammates (and their parents). No one was happier for the successes of his teammates than Luke. He was compassionate and he cared for others in ways that were beyond his years, and those qualities fueled what will become Luke's legacy.
Luke loved to travel and experience new places and cultures. He and his family were very fortunate to take many amazing trips together. In 2023, Luke and his family visited Kenya, where he was stunned by the beauty and the wildlife but equally stunned by the level of poverty and the quality of life of many of the people he met on the trip. He formed a special friendship with Simon and Beko, guides at one of the camps who were Samburu tribesman – a nomadic group of people who continue to live the same way today that they have for centuries. Water is scarce in Samburu and the women in the village walk several kilometers each day to gather water for the tribe. Upon his return home, Luke was determined to make a difference.
Through research, Luke recently partnered with The Samburu Project (TSP), an organization whose mission is to build hand pump wells to improve the quality of life of the Samburu people. Luke was determined to raise the necessary funds to build a well for Simon and Beko's village (and nearby villages), which would improve the lives of approximately 1,000 people (and future generations). Luke created his fundraising webpage and was recently able to contact Simon (which was no small feat), speaking directly with him to coordinate the project with TSP and the village. Luke wanted the village to make an investment in the project and he and Simon agreed that the village would make bead bracelets to be given to larger donors. While Luke wasn't able to see the results of his efforts, his legacy will live on forever through the generous gifts of others that have poured in following his death.
A celebration of Luke's life will be held at Orono High School on Sunday, November 24, at 4pm. The doors open at 3:30. Memorial service will be held at 11 am on Monday, November 25, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2060 County Road 6, Long Lake, Minnesota with visitation one hour prior. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Lucas' efforts to build wells for the people of Samburu. https://donate.thesamburuproject.org/fundraiser/5883746