William (“Bill”) H. Knaust, age 88, of Joplin, Missouri, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, April 4, 2019, in Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma after a brief illness. He was born at home on July 23, 1930, in Hoberg, Missouri, to the late Herman and Erna (Pietsch) Knaust. He was the youngest of six children.
Bill married the love of his life, Alma “Ruth” Backs of Lockwood, Missouri, on May 29, 1955, and began their partnership over 62 years. They renewed their wedding vows on their 50th anniversary and celebrated their 60th anniversary at their church with family and friends. His wife preceded him in death on May 2, 2018.
Survivors include his daughters, Marsha Knaust of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Marilyn Rooks and husband Frank of Jasper, Missouri; and son Marion Knaust and wife Marian of Springdale, Arkansas; and three grandchildren, Renee Casey and husband Tyler of Pittsburg, Kansas; and Kayla and Cayden Knaust of Springdale, Arkansas.
In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his two sisters, Flora Spree and Rose Marie Knaust, and his brothers, Raymond, Elfred and Edward.
Bill has been a longtime resident of Joplin, Missouri, where he has made his home since 1955. He graduated from Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, Missouri, in 1949. Bill was a U. S. Army veteran of the Korean War and was the last of the original charter members of the American Legion Hubert H. Kleiboeker Post No. 419 in Freistatt, Missouri. He worked as a letter carrier for the U. S. Postal Service for 25 years and retired in 1990. He was honored in December 2018 for his 50-year membership in the National Association of Letter Carriers ("NALC"). He was a member of the Southwest Missouri Nut Growers Association.
He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, and will surely be missed by those who knew him. He has always enjoyed playing Pinochle. He loved sports and even coached some of his son’s baseball teams. Growing up in a farming family and being an FFA member, he has always enjoyed spending time in the outdoors, particularly caring for the cattle on his farm, gardening, caring for his walnut grove and quail hunting. Bill and his wife shared their love for God in a trucking ministry by their church and participated in Evangelism Explosion.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, April 8, 2019, at Fellowship Baptist Church in Joplin, Missouri. Burial will follow in Stone Cemetery in Diamond, Missouri. Visitation is from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 7, 2019, at Parker Mortuary in Joplin. Memorial contributions may be made to Mount Vernon FFA Booster Club in care of Parker Mortuary.
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