BENTON COUNTY — John Louis Knabenschuh

John Louis Knabenschuh, 83, died Friday, April 1, 2011, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Fayetteville after years of battling illness. He was born Dec. 26, 1927, in New Haven, Conn., to Karl Gustave Knabenschuh and Florence May Smith Knabenschuh.

Knabenschuh served with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1945-1955, retiring as a lieutenant and the U.S.C.G. Reserve from 1955-1957 as a lieutenant commander. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict. He attended Admiral Billard Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., where he received his B.S. in General Engineering.

He began his 37-year career with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1955 as a nuclear engineering manager for Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory and retired as the vice president and engineering manager, Environmental, Safety, Health and Quality Assurance for the West Valley Nuclear Services Company. During his career with Westinghouse Electric Corp., he also worked for Admiral Rickover in the Naval Nuclear Program and was technical representative for the U.S. Department of Energy for the Fast Breeder Reactor Program in Europe.

Knabenschuh moved to Garfield in 1992. He was active in his retirement as co-founder of the Ventris Neighborhood Watch (now Ventris Neighborhood Association), Northeast Benton County (NEBCO) Volunteer Fire Department from 1994-2007 as board member, treasurer, secretary and firefighter, co-founder of Beaver Lake Property Owners Association (now Beaver Lake Association), Volunteer Ambulance Service (VAS) of Northeast Benton County from 1998-2007 as first responder, emergency medical technician, board member and safety and training Oofficer; and SALT (Seniors and Lawmen Together) Council from 1998-2007.

He will be remembered as a loving husband and father, and a caring member of his community.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 60 years, Dorothy “Dot” Jaspersohn Knabenschuh.

Survivors include his sons, Eric and his wife, Lani, and Bruce, and his wife, Patricia, both of Elizabeth, Penn.; his daughter Karen Saunders and her husband, Richard, of Garfield, Ark.; three grandsons, Jon Erik Knabenschuh and his wife, Amber, of Orem, Utah, and Richard and Michael Saunders of Mandeville, La.; two granddaughters, Beth Liedl and her husband, Timothy, of Liberty Boro, Penn., and Emily Rae Knabenschuh of Elizabeth, Penn.; three great-grandsons; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Online tributes to the family of John Knabenschuh may be made at www.bentoncountymemorialpark. com.

Arrangements are with Benton County Memorial Park Funeral Home and Crematory of Rogers, Ark.

Memorial donations may be made on behalf of John Knabenschuh to the charity of their choice.