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Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, Betty Knopp, passed away on Jan. 30, 2020, at the age of 93. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by family.
Betty was born Dec. 21, 1926, to Leonard and Francis Sand in Washington, Kansas. She was the second daughter of seven children. She married her handsome husband, Ronnie Knopp, of Powell on Oct. 14, 1943. They celebrated 75 wonderful years of marriage on Oct. 14, 2018.
After Betty and Ronnie were married, Ronnie went to serve his country with the Army in WWII and Betty stayed home and “held down the fort,” working in a restaurant and grocery store. When Ronnie returned, they farmed in Powell and then later moved to a homestead near Heart Mountain, where they raised their family of four children. During that time, they owned the first poultry farm in Park County, with 6,000 laying hens at the peak. Their poultry farm supplied eggs to most of the Big Horn Basin communities.
Betty was a devoted, hardworking, and loving wife, mother and grandmother. She was an avid gardener, homemaker, cross-stitcher, and the best cook and pie maker ever! Although a housewife is never retired, Betty loved traveling in the United States and Europe with Ronnie and many special friends. Most important to her was the time she spent with her family celebrating special occasions, camping, and watching grandkids’ and great-grandkids’ sporting events. We will always treasure special memories of our yearly Christmas Eve celebration together at their home.
She showed her love through the many acts of service to her family. The legacy she left her children is a love for God, family, friends and neighbors. She was welcoming to all. She was humble, content to be the silent support behind the scenes, never needing to take credit.
This was our mom. She always had a smile on her face, which taught us that life wasn’t really that bad. She was always on the go, which taught us that life was too short just to sit around. She was always willing to help anyone, which taught us to be kind and caring to people. And she always gave us all her love, which helps us to deal with this time without her. We are thankful she was our teacher, friend, and such a profound, irreplaceable part of our lives. We will miss her.
Betty is survived by her children, Kathy (Joe) Reed of Cody; Larry (Carol) Knopp of Las Vegas, Nevada; Steven (Barb) Knopp of Cody; and Marianne (Dean) Brosious of Craig, Colorado; two sisters, Dorothy and Maxine; and three brothers, Lawrence, Keith, and Duwane. She was also blessed with 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ronnie, as well as her parents, sister Lola, and daughter-in-law Pam. The family is very grateful for the many special caregivers who helped her stay in the home she loved after her husband’s death.
Services were held at First Presbyterian Church in Cody on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. A slideshow and guestbook to the family are available on Betty’s page at www.BallardFH.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Spirit Mountain Hospice.
