Adolph Edward Knutson Jr. (Ed) of Lancaster, age 89, entered eternal rest on Monday, August 30, 2021, in Pomona, CA after his battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
He was born on August 24, 1932, the son of Adolph E. Knutson Sr. and Anna D. (Rasmussen) Knutson. Ed lived his life to its fullest! He enjoyed talking about the many interesting jobs he had as a young man; lumberjack, miner and pinsetter, to name a few. One of those jobs brought him to Lancaster and that’s where he met the love of his life, June Van Natta. June was a waitress at the Rainbow Grill (Hartig’s Drug Store) and Ed stopped in one day. He eventually won her heart, and they were married on November 7, 1953 at the Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lancaster. Soon their eldest daughter, Cindy, was born. A second daughter, Cammi, was born eight years later. Ed would do anything for his two girls and was completely devoted to them. During that time Ed began his 30-year career as a welder at John Deere. While working at John Deere, he made many lifelong friends which he held very close to his heart. Eventually, he and June built a house on McKinley Street with the help of Ed’s father, Adolph. Ed and his Dad shared a love for carpentry, and it was something he enjoyed doing his entire life. He enjoyed using old things to create new things. Ed liked to drive through the Lancaster neighborhoods and going to auctions looking for something he could repurpose. June got Ed hooked on golf and it became something that they truly enjoyed doing together. In addition to carpentry and golf, Ed loved his birds and squirrels; watching them from his picture window brought him much joy and he always made sure that they were properly fed. More than anything, Ed’s greatest joy was his family and his legacy of love will always be a part of us.
Ed was preceded in death by his wife, June (Van Natta) Knutson; his parents, Adolph E. Knutson Sr. and Anna D. (Rasmussen) Knutson and sister, Arleen Knutson. He was wholeheartedly devoted to his wife, parents and sister and lovingly cared for them. He is survived by his two daughters, Cindy (Bob) Moore, Pomona, CA; and Cammi (Dan) Banach, Waukesha, WI; three grandchildren, Vanessa (Orlando) Saldana, Pomona, CA; Allison Banach, Sussex, WI and Jon Banach, Los Angeles, CA; great-granddaughter, Mila Saldana, Pomona, CA. Ed was loved and will be missed by two sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. A celebration of Ed’s life will be held at Bethlehem Evangelical and Reformed Church (334 S. Madison St., Lancaster, WI). The date and details of the funeral have not yet been determined.