Robert John Knaak

Robert John Knaak was born February 27, 1946, at Loretto Hospital on the western
edge of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Bob was the first born son of Mary Jane
Coleman Knaak and John William Knaak. At that time there were two older half sisters
from John's first marriage: Suzanne Marjorie and Judith Marie. Three years later Bob
had a little brother named John Albert.
Bob and his family lived with his paternal grandparents, John Albert Knaak and Helen
Charlotte (Marbach), in an apartment over the Knaak Hardware Store in Oak Park,
Illinois. Bob was literally raised around tools and screws and paint and all the items
that handymen and women would need for their projects at home. For the rest of his
life, Bob carried that background with him. He was capable of fixing anything. He
knew which tool to try first and utilized an intuition and formidable determination to
make it work - whatever IT was.
When Bob was around two years old, the family moved to a home in Glen Ellyn,
Illinois. Bob attended school, raced his bicycle through the quiet streets and explored
the big field behind their house with his buddies and his brother. Glen Ellyn in the
1950's and 60's was a sheltered, unassuming small town. He graduated from Glenbard
West High School in 1964.
After graduation, Bob spent a year at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. His
pursuit of education turned into a pursuit of partying. He learned how to make good
friends and bad grades. The following year Bob enlisted in the Marine Corps. His
three-year tour of duty led him to Paris Island in Beaufort, South Carolina. He received
training in electronics and again made good friends. He was honorably discharged in
1969.
During his high school years, Bob dated a classmate named Sue Anderson. Sue had
three younger sisters and a mother who took Bob under her wing. While on leave, he
stopped to visit Mrs. Anderson, but it was Sue's younger sister that caught his
attention. Judith Lynn Anderson had just graduated from Glenbard West a few
months earlier in the spring of 1967. Bob asked Judy out, and he swept her off her feet.
Apparently the feeling was mutual. They married somewhat spontaneously just about
a year later.
Bob died on November 3, 2025, just five days before they would have celebrated 57
years together. They spent 52 of those years living in the same house in West Chicago,
Illinois. Their four children were born and raised there, two of whom were born (on
purpose) in a second floor bedroom.
Bob and Judy's children are Jesse Coleman Knaak of Lake Stevens, WA, born July 1,
1977; Jacob William Knaak of Naperville, IL, born November 3, 1980; Maggie May
Knaak of Batavia, IL, born September 28, 1983; and Molly Lynn Knaak Gathman of
Batavia, IL, born August 8, 1986.
These four blessings brought Bob into the whirlwind of working hard to provide for his
growing family plus balancing the joys and challenges of parenting. As a career, Bob
worked with electric motors. He repaired them, he rebuilt them and he figured out
what was needed to make them work again. Every day he left home to work in a
physically demanding, dirty and often frustrating job. Bob did this honorably as his
family's main provider.
Bob also worked hard to maintain their home, built in 1913. Bob called on all his
experience from the family hardware business, all his knowledge and skill and problem
solving abilities to make improvements, literally from the roof to the basement. His
work integrity is evident from the guts of the house that kept everything running, to
the paint on the walls.
Bob's mother was raised in rural Linton, Indiana, where farming was a way of life. She
continued that tradition in her own home in Glen Ellyn where there was always a huge
vegetable garden. Bob's childhood taught him about tending and planting and
harvesting what would eventually come to their dining table. Bob's knowledge and
enjoyment of growing and eating the fruits and vegetables right out his back door were
repeated in his adult life.
In May of 1973 Bob and Judy moved into their first and only home at 442 Harrison
Street. Within a month, a large garden had been tilled and planted. That same plot has
been used every year since in the same way. He loved all the vegetables but especially
the tomatoes and the asparagus. Bob's maternal grandfather, Ora Elmer Coleman, was
said to be an expert at raising asparagus. Bob's brother John lives on a sizable piece of
land in the hills of Tennessee outside Gassaway. He too raises vegetables. Working the
earth and caring for plants is another family trait that Bob fostered.
After Bob's father passed away in 1966, his mother married their neighbor down the
street, Harold Oates. Harold's four sons became Bob's new step brothers, all in their
rambunctious teen-age years. Since the boys had all played together since childhood,
they were more like good friends. The step brothers are: Lou Oates of Naperville, IL;
Danny Oates of Ingleside, IL; Mike Oates and Tim Oates are deceased.
One of Bob's greatest joys was being around his grandkids, no matter their age. His
nine grandchildren include Robert (Buddy) Miles, Azalea (Star) Elizabeth and Naomi
Lynn whose parents are Jesse and Melissa (Hellman) Knaak; Kaitlyn Denise and Cole
William whose parents are Jacob and Vanessa (Talbott) Knaak; and Dylan Anderson,
Van Harrison, Millie May and Cameron Michael whose parents are Molly and Dave
Gathman.
Bob died of complications of lung cancer after a brief stay in the care of Central
DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois, with his wife and three of his children present.
The nurses and doctors in attendance took away his pain, took away his panic and
made him comfortable and at ease as his life slipped away. His family is grateful that
Bob was able to live his life pretty much the way he wanted until the last few days.
Anyone who wants to pay his or her respect to Bob and his family may do so by
donating to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton, IL. For more
information, go to their website at helpaveteran.org.
Bob will be remembered for his love of card games, stinky cheese and good blues
music.
He will be remembered for his garage that closely resembled a hardware store and for
his office that looked like it had been hit by a cyclone.
He will be remembered for his inquisitive mind and an astounding knowledge of
assorted facts.
He will be remembered always for his teasing nature, his handsome smile and his
willingness to lend a helping hand.