Richard W. Knechtle Sr.

George Knechtle and Mary Schalk were married in November, 1941. They had the first of two sons, Richard, on June 21,1942, in Passic, New Jersey, at St. Joseph Hospital. Richard attended Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, which has since been made popular by the movie, "Lean on Me". While at that school, he was an offensive lineman for the football team. As time passed, he married Joan Green and had additional children while living in Paterson, New Jersey. With a family of four, Richard had a variety of jobs to provide for his family. He had his own store, worked on an ice cream truck, and later found what would become his life long career with Immont Textile Corp; later to become BASF. Richard moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, when his job relocated to the area. He bought a small, three bedroom house in Charlotte and continued raising his family. It was at this time he had his fifth child. Over the years Richard develop many interests. He spent many time building a 10'x5' model train table, collected stamps, and comic books. His favorite comic book being "Spawn". Richard attended night classes at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for three years. During this time, he received certifications in electrical and refrigeration repair as well as completing courses needed to eventually become a senior chemist with BASF. Following a respected and rewarding career with BASF, he retired from that company with 50 years of service. Richard's first child, Elizabeth, had three children. Due to extreme depression from the unexpected death of her husband, she became unable to care not only for herself, but her young children as well. All were warmly received and cared for by Richard. It was important to him that they had a loving home, that all their needs were met, and that each of them graduated from high school. Just a short time following, Richard's wife, Joan, developed congestive heart failure and her health began to rapidly decline. In 2009, Richard suffered a stroke resulting in impaired physical and mental capabilities. While recovering from his stroke, Joan passed away from complications of heart failure. A few years later, Richard also developed congestive heart failure and his health slowly began to deteriorate. On February 4, 2016, Richard passed away. -

Visitation Details

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016 7:00pm - 9:00pm, Gaskin Funeral Services

Service Information

Thursday, February 11th, 2016 3:00pm, Sunset Memory Gardens

Details:

Service Extra Info All services will be at the Graveside.

Interment Details

Sunset Memory Gardens