John William Knox

John, a son, husband, father, brother, and grandfather was born on June 24th, 1940, in Ottumwa, Iowa. He fondly remembers spending many wonderful occasions with his grandparents John and Louise Knox and his very favorite Aunt Stasia.

He moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1952 when he was eleven years old because his sister Rosanne needed a change of climate because of her asthma. He spent part of the school year at Uni Hill Elementary and then he transferred to Baseline Junior High School when it was newly opened. He and his sister would be in the same grade as she lost a year of school in Ottumwa because of her illness. They both graduated from Boulder High School in 1958. He went on to Colorado State College in Greeley. He received his degree in 1963 with a major in Education. He taught 5th grade one year at Highland Elementary School in central Boulder.

He married Barbara McKnight on August 8th, 1964, in Greeley, Colorado. They chose San Jose, California as their new and most favorite place to live. Both John and Barbara had teaching positions in Union School District. John was teaching 5th grade at Leitz Elementary, and Barbara taught second grade at Cinnabar Elementary. They loved California but they returned to Colorado in 1966 so that John could begin to work on his master’s degree in History and Geography. After receiving his master’s degree in 1967, he obtained a teaching position at Southern Hills Junior High School. In 1968, they purchased a home in Table Mesa, and they become official homeowners in Boulder.

On June 4th, 1970, Robert Feehan was born to John and Barbara and on July 24th, 1973, Stephanie Sarah joined the family also. He loved and cared for his children, and he spent quality time with them.

John went back to school at CSC in Greeley to begin work on his Doctorate Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He continued teaching while he worked on his advanced degree.

John also taught at Nevin Platt Junior High School and worked as an assistant principal at Baseline Junior High. His first principalship was at Centennial Junior High in north Boulder. He loved the school community and the population it served. From there he was promoted to Centaurus High School in Lafayette where he enjoyed working with high school students. He also served as principal at Majestic Heights Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary, both in Boulder. He finished his career as an Assistant Principal at Fairview High School and he retired in 1994. He enjoyed working with different ages and found administration very rewarding.

He owned a refurbished 48 Chrysler New Yorker, and he was so pleased when friends and neighbors wanted to use it on a special occasion. He was an intense student of History and Geography and he loved to spend the day reading and learning. He also was a ski buff, but he gave it up as he got older. During his retirement he lived in Boulder, Greeley, Prescott, Arizona and Grand Junction. He was a practiced and very proficient bike rider, and he participated in "Ride the Rockies" in Denver and the mountains in July and August. He also was a member of the SOB club which stood for Seniors On Bikes!

He is survived by his son Robert and his wife Christie, and their children Jack and Sam (twins) and Ben. They reside in Castle Rock, Colorado.

He also is survived by a daughter Stephanie Knox and her husband, Dr. Chuck Vega, and their children George and Graham (twins) and daughter Audrey. They live in Irvine, California. John and Barbara divorced. He is also survived by his brother David Knox who lives in Loveland, Colorado.

He has four nephews named Doug Zancanelli, and Gordon, and Darin and Derek Turk(twins). He is preceded in death by his parents Rosemary and William Knox and his sister Rosanne Turk He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He was a very loyal and devoted fan of the Denver Nuggets - even had season tickets when he was younger! He was a scholarly individual who was devoted to the quality of education for all children.