Joseph G. Knudson

Joseph G. Knudson 81, of Sioux City passed away Sunday March 3, 2019 at a Sioux City hospital.   Funeral Services will be held at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel on Stone Park Blvd, Saturday, March 9th. Visitation will be 1:00 PM followed by the service at 2:00 PM.    Joseph G. Knudson passed away Sunday morning March 3rd in Sioux City, IA after a short illness. Joe was born January 24, 1938 in Mayville, ND to John Edwin and Sophie Knudson and grew up on a farm near Clifford, ND, one of 18 children. He attended country school as a child and was a star basketball and football player at Portland High School where he graduated in 1957.   Joe married Nancy McGunn in 1957 and they had 5 sons. They divorced in 1972. He married Mary Ramona Nelson in 1974 and they raised 2 sons. Joe and Ramie divorced in 1998. He worked construction with is friend Harlan Fugleberg for a number of years, moving to Sioux City to work on the Floyd River Channel in 1959, where he has lived ever since. He joined Penn Life Insurance Company in 1969, where he became a top producer and qualified for the Presidents Club every year. He retired in 2006 as a Regional Manager.   Joe enjoyed boating on the Missouri River and spending time around his pool with family and friends. He loved traveling to visit his children and grandchildren. All of Joe’s neighbors knew him as he appointed himself the unofficial snow shoveler for the block. In the warmer months you could always count on seeing Joe working out in his yard, happy to visit with anyone and everyone. Joe moved to the Bickford Memory Care unit in May of this last year, where he was a favorite with all the nurses.   Joe is survived by 6 of his sons and their wives: Randy (Robin) of Sioux City, IA- Tim (Julia) of Hopkins, MN- Bill (Lisa) of Manson, WA- Jim (Chris) of Port Orchard, WA – Jason(Nancy) of Highlands Ranch, CO and Joe (Fran) of Kansas City, MO; 1 brother, Henry “Hank” (special friend Liz) of Mayville, ND; 2 sisters, lone (Keith) Iverson of California and Rose Beck of Phoenix, AZ; sister-in-law Yvonne and brother-in-law Bill Love; 17 grandchildren; Christopher, Carrie, Candice, Chad, Kelsie, Kevin, McKayla, Kori, Kent, Shenae, Zach, Allison, Karli, Meredith, Reece, Hazel, and Joseph; 15 great grandchildren, along with 248 nieces and nephews spanning 3 generations (and growing).   In addition to his parents, Joe was preceded in death by his son Kelly, his brothers Orville “Bud”(Edith), Donald (MaryAnn), John (Lillian) Mons, Ole (Phyllis), Walter and Jacob “Jim” and brother-in-law Steve Beck; his sisters Esther (Irgens) Holman, Elaine (Oliver) Ambroson, Faye (Phil) Nordtvedt, infant Fern, Delores (Joe) Calabray, Harriet (Jim) Buzick, and Beverly Love.   In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Joe: Direct online link- https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?idb=445276184&df_id=40510&FR_ID=12554&mfc_pref=T&PROXY_ID=10965881&PROXY_TYPE=20&40510.donation=form1 (Jennifer Winsor is Joe’s niece that works at the Alzheimer’s Association in Syracuse, NY)