“Harry” Knopes died suddenly after suffering a serious health issue on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at his home near Colfax. Born Harold Eugene Knopes, on March 23, 1935, in Uniontown, the second of 11 children born to Joseph and Caroline (Heitstuman) Knopes.
He started his early education near Cottonwood at the one-room Kittrell School and graduated from Orofino High School in 1953. He shortly after entered the U.S. Air Force, the start of a military career that lasted 21 years. During this time, he saw tours in Alaska, Japan, Korea, Turkey and Germany (four tours).
It was in Germany that Harry met his future wife, Marlene “Alma” Marie Schaller. They married in Eugene, Ore., in 1972. After retiring in 1976, they moved to Colfax where they spent the remainder of their lives.
After moving to Colfax, he worked several years for McGregor in Mockonema, Wash., and several years with the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.
His wife, Alma, passed away in Colfax in October 2014. His favorite job was traveling over a large portion of Whitman County cutting trees and hauling the wood back home for splitting. When asked why, at his age, he didn’t sit back and relax, he stated that the work with wood was what was keeping him active and was probably contributing to his good health. He was 88 when he passed and had still spent some time with the log splitter shortly before his death.
In addition to his wife, Harry was preceded in death by both parents; brothers: Merlyn Joseph “Merl,” August 2012, and Alan David, March 2000; sisters: Carol Mae Vogel, April 2019, and Janice Marie Ullman, July 2017.
He is survived by three brothers, Lawrence Lee “Larry,” Clarkston, Nicholas Quentin “Nick,” Perry, Ga., and James Benjamin “Jim” (Pok Ye), Bellevue, Neb.; and three sisters, Arlene Ann Rowden, Spokane, Dolores Katherine “Dee” Wood, Roy, Wash., and Susan Nadine Knopes, Olympia; and numerous nieces and nephews.
At Harold’s request, there will not be a memorial service. Interment will be in the Colfax City Cemetery.
Harold will be greatly missed by both his family and the large number of friends and acquaintances he has made over the years. The online guest book is available at corbeillfuneralhomes.com.
Corbeill Funeral Home of Colfax is in charge of the arrangements.
