Karen Jean Knapp

Karen Jean Knapp of Sioux City, Iowa went to be with her Lord and Savior on Easter Sunday surrounded by her family.  Services will be under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel, Stone Park Blvd. Visitation will be Thursday March 31st, from 4 to 8, with family present from 6 to 8 and prayer service at 7 p.m. at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Funeral service will be 10:30 Friday April 1, 2016 at First Evangelical Free Church, 401 9th St in Sioux City with the Rev. Kevin Miller officiating

Karen Jean Knapp was born in Sioux City, Iowa on January 31, 1962 to Robert D and Ida Lavon Knapp.  Karen attended Hinton Community, Merrill Kissinger and LeMars Community Schools, graduating from LeMars Community in 1981. She was also involved in 4-H.  She attended Iowa Job Core in Denison, Iowa.

She went to Blessed Sacrament Church, Morningside Lutheran and later was baptized into the First Evangelical Free Church and attended Bible Study there. She spoke highly of Pastor Kevin. She was very active in her church life and recently attended a Via De Cristo retreat in Inspiration Hills.  

She was a member and coach of the Disabled Rollers Bowling League and just finished tournaments. She loved bowling and all of her friends in all of the leagues and giving pointers to them to help their game.  She was so looking forward to the next season.

Life challenged Karen many times but she challenged it right back. She traveled by bus to visit family and friends in Texas, Missouri and Washington state.  She took her first airplane ride and spoke of her mini vacations with such awe.  She loved these visits and had another trip planned in June to Minneapolis. 

Karen loved making handmade crafts and attending local craft fairs and many a person received a gift during the holidays that she had so proudly made.

She worked for St. Lukes in Sioux City and area care centers as a housekeeper and also was well known for visiting local care center residents with her beloved pets Samuel and Cuatro.  She also worked for McDonalds, Target, Pizza Hut and the last ten years at Little Caesars, where she thrived.  She loved her job and her special work family. Of course, she adopted AJ, Ta’Mara, Jim and the whole crew and set the bar for never being late.

Karen did not let her disabilities stop her from being independent. She was seen riding her bike from one end of town to the other to do her errands and in bad weather she knew every bus schedule. She encouraged others; there is a way, no matter how hard and she touched many.

Karen is survived by her brother and his wife, Warren and Lynn Knapp of Hinton, IA, Mary Kiewel of Akron, IA, nieces LeAnn Graves of Glidden, IA, Amy Haneklaus of Beresford, SD and Crystal Kiewel of Rock Valley, IA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Disabled Rollers Bowling League and the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center.