William Raymond Knee

GOODVIEWBill Knee passed into eternal life on Wednesday, July 9, at Lake Winona Manor, in the loving arms of his wife who was with him every step of his illness, and surrounded by his family, close friends and some of the Lake Winona Manor staff who treated him with amazing care and compassion. Knowing that he had incurable cancer, Bill died on his own terms: in Winona, sooner rather than later, peacefully, with dignity, without pain and with his family close by.Bill was born on November 21, 1944, in Winona, Minnesota, to Vernon and Marie (Jennison) Knee. He was lovingly raised by his mother and stepfather Alexander Muras, the only dad he ever knew.He married his high school sweetheart, Pat Pomeroy, on October 24, 1964, and they were blessed with two daughters, Kristin and Lisa. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in October.A 1963 graduate of Cotter High School, over the years Bill worked for the Federal Bakery, Quality Chevrolet and spent 29 years at the Peerless Chain Company, from which he retired in 2000. Following retirement he worked on the grounds crew at Cedar Valley Golf Course and made many friends while working there. It was one of his favorite courses to play with the Cedar Valley crew and Pat. He spent his time golfing with family and in several leagues (and was especially proud of the hole in one he scored on a par 4 at Walnut Grove Golf Course in Cochrane). He enjoyed traveling extensively with Pat. Their favorite vacation spots were the Southeast, the Florida Keys and Cancun, Mexico, where they made lifelong friends.For many years Bill was a runner, with Pat by his side. They enjoyed their runs around Winona and moved on to marathons, completing Honolulu with friends Bill met while running the Madison Marathon. Bill went on to run Grandma's and Twin Cities Marathons and loved the exhilaration of the finish line.Bill was a true "Parrothead" who loved the beach and his Jimmy Buffet music, some of which soothed him as he made his transition to Heaven. Bill and Pat traveled with good friends to numerous Jimmy Buffett concerts and loved every one. He enjoyed Friday night happy hours with the Cedar Valley crew and other friends, watching the Twins and Vikings, NASCAR, keeping up with the news, watching golf on TV when he wasn't playing the game and spending time with his family. He enjoyed trips to area casinos and always got his weekly lottery tickets. Bill was no handyman, and we learned to never, ever give him a tool to use, but he was an absolute whiz in the kitchen. Cooking was one of his greatest pleasures, and he had a true gift for it. He and Pat enjoyed some special meals at celebrity chef's restaurants in their travels, and then he'd come home and try to replicate the recipe. Family, friends and co-workers enjoyed the fruits of his labor. The family especially loved his famous Thanksgiving dinners.Bill was a great son, husband, father, grandfather and uncle. Anyone who knew him realized that his bark was worse than his bite, but deep down he was the most tender hearted, loving man who never wanted to see those he loved hurt. He had a great sense of humor and a sassy wit and was often the life of the party. He could wrap you around his little finger in no time. He had a big heart and would give without question to anyone in need. He would often say to his children and grandchildren, "Are you listening to your father/grandpa?" as he was giving advice or sharing his ideas on how to get something done. We hope he knows what a significant part he played in shaping the lives of his daughters and grandchildren.Bill is survived by his loving wife, Pat, Winona; daughters Kristin (fiancée Michael Graham) of Winona and Lisa (Paul) Gaede of Black River Falls, WI; grandchildren, Brian, Alex, Michael and Jennifer Russell, and Andrew Barum, and step-grandchildren (always treated as his own) Zachary, Justin and Evan Gaede; sisters, Marilee Barrientos and Cheryl (Chuck) Schendel, both of Winona; aunt, Dolores Kolter; numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Al and Marie Muras.Words alone cannot express our gratitude to Dr. Bryan Reed and Dena Brion of Winona Health for their wonderful care of Bill. His family is also indebted to the staff of Lake Winona Manor for their tender and compassionate care and to the following medical teams at Saint Mary's Hospital (Mayo) in Rochester: ICU, Orthopedics, Oncology, Infectious Disease, Respiratory Services, Palliative Care and 5th floor Mary Brigh E Medical staff and nurses. While he was in hospice care in Winona for a very brief time, their care and words of comfort, especially from Sheila, helped the family deal with his passing. Chaplain Tom Schoen, thank you for your bedside prayer service for the family after Bill had crossed over and for the beautiful song at the end of the service. Special thanks to Father Robert Stamschror for anointing Bill and for presiding over the prayer service on Wednesday.Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 16, from 5-7:00 p.m. at Hoff Celebration of Life Center in Goodview with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family will be arranging memorials.Please share a memory of Bill with the family and view his video tribute at www.hofffuneral.com.
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/508180