Roy Bruce Knittle

1944 - 2021

Roy Bruce Knittle, 77, passed away on September 18, 2021. He has been a lifetime resident of Copley/Akron. Roy was born on May 24, 1944 and is the son of the late Clarence Knittle. Roy graduated from Copley High School in 1962. He was preceded in death by his brother, Larry Knittle. Roy is survived by his loving wife, Mary Kay with whom he celebrated 53 years of marriage; brother, David Knittle (Donna); sister, Becky Mohler (Bob); brother-in-law, Robert Branscomb, along with many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Roy Knittle was an extremely hardworking and successful businessman. From working in manufacturing to real estate investments and ultimately owning his own businesses, his life focus was financial and wealth management. His early career was focussed on improving manufacturing processes through time study and production control. This was formative in assuring his success. He often said he would have liked to have taught these subjects at the university level. Eventually he worked for Auer Register Company in Cleveland OH, starting in production time study and becoming Vice President focussed on running Manufacturing, Sales and subsequently the whole company. He lead the company in significant growth through development of new products and into new markets in the HVAC and Home Center market. He was active in industry organizations, and held offices in the Precision Metalforming Association, previously the American Metal Stamping Association (AMSA) where he was a district chairman and a contributor to the Alliance for Metalworking Education (AME) and HARDI, previously NHRAW. He was recognized by the owner of Auer at a dinner in his honor. Wallace Ardussi said "Roy is responsible for many accomplishments including new customers and products, developing advertising material, and creating added prestige for our company." He left Auer Register after acquiring and founding Shook Manufactured Products Inc in 1992 and spearheaded the companies relocation to Akron, OH. He was President and Operations Manager until his passing. Shook Manufactured Products Inc. has been active in the HVAC/R Industry featuring the "Jiffy Chuck" magnetic nut driver since it's founding in the 1960s. At his and the family's request there will be no service. Donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.