Myron Knapschafer

Myron Knapschafer, age 98, passed away at home in Westminster, CO, on November 27, 2022.

Myron was a WWII Army Combat Engineer serving with Company A, 202nd Combat Engineer Battalion. He arrived in Normandy a month after D Day due to a storm washing the equipment out to sea where they were staged in Ireland. He supported troops as the US Army fought across France. He was a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge where he received the Purple Heart Medal for shrapnel wounds sustain while fighting German troops in Belgium. He graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelors in Business Admin, and worked for New Idea as a Purchasing Agent for many years. When the New Idea Plant closed in Iowa, he was offered a position at the Ohio plant or an early retirement, which he chose. He moved to Denver with his family in 1970, where he fell in love with Sloan’s Lake and was able to buy a house nearby. He built his own sailboats and sailboards and belonged to the Sloan’s Lake Sailing Club and the Estes Lake Sailing Club. He was often seen sailing on Sloan’s Lake and had his picture sailing on Sloan’s Lake in the Denver Post.

Myron was an avid golfer and snowboarder. He has been featured in several articles (Westword, Powder, Summit Daily, Vail Daily) and is featured as one of the snowboarding pioneer at the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum in Vail, CO. He made Hiper Snowboards in his garage and broke his leg snowboarding in his 80’s. He loved that he could snowboard for free once he reached age 70.

Myron was preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Philomena (Steinke) Knapschaefer; his wife, D. Jean (Gast Knous) Knapschafer; his brothers, Dorsenes, Sylvester “Caesar”, Harold “Speedy”, Hugo “Hooks” and Walter Knapschaefer; his son, James Knapschafer; his step-daughter, Patricia (Knous) Redman; and three grandchildren, Brad Steinberg, Dawn (Partusch) Wesslund and Larry “Moe” Bennett. He is survived by his daughters, Nancy Knapschafer and Teresa Bennett; step-daughters, Pamela (Knous) Steinberg and Sandra (Knous) Partusch (Tim); grandchildren, Erica (Redman) Pulliam (Rob), Stacey (Partusch) Ross (Tom), David Fernandez (Michiko), James Fernandez, Steven Bennett (Anna) and Mark “Lucky” Knapschafer (Tiffany); great-grandchildren, Dustin Steinberg, Haley Pulliam, Penelope Pulliam, Jillian Pulliam, Murphy Pulliam, Kyle Cummings, Abbie Ross, Kasey Ross, Milei Fernandez, Hugo Fernandez, Eugene Fernandez, Serena Bennett, Drake Bennett, Thayne Bennett, Livia Bennett, Brian Bennett, Julia Bennett, Joe Harris, Ray Harris, and Doug Knapschafer.

A Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 11th, from 6 to 7pm, at Horan & McConaty, 3020 Federal Blvd, Denver. A Recitation of the Rosary will be on Monday, December 12th, at 9:20am and Funeral Mass at 10am at St. Dominic Church, 2905 Federal Blvd, Denver. A Committal Service will follow at 11:30am at Ft. Logan National Cemetery. Luncheon will start at 12:30pm at La Cocinita, 4935 W. 29th Ave., Denver.