May May L Knaevelsrud

May Knaevelsrud died peacefully at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, WA on Saturday, February 21, 2015 after a long illness. She died at the age of 76 in the presence of her loving husband Hans and her children, and is finally with God in peace and without pain.

May was born Mable Lester Locklear in Robeson County, NC on June 17, 1938 as one of twelve children of parents John Avern Locklear and Bessie Lee Maynor. Her birth certificate confirms her American Indian heritage, and in her later years, with the help of her daughter, she was proud to be inducted into the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina where she was born and raised.

After growing up in North Carolina, she wed at an early age and subsequently gave birth to four children; Debra Lynn, Gregory, Timothy and Lora Ann. She was raising her children alone in Salt Lake City, Utah when she met her now long time husband Hans Knaevelsrud just completing his graduate engineering education at the University of Utah. They wed at the Chapel of the Bells in Las Vegas, NV on January 18, 1969. Hans had come to Utah form Norway to complete his studies, and started his engineering career in Salt Lake City. While living in Salt Lake City, they built their new home at the base of the mountains and added three more children together; daughters Heidi and Shilo, and son Cory Hans to their already large family. In 1975 they moved their family to Bellevue, WA where the twin boys, Lance and Tyson, were born to complete the family of nine children. May enjoyed staying at home cooking and raising her wonderful family. She took pride in being a good and caring mother as her children grew and started families of their own. She especially enjoyed summers in Bellevue watching her children and their friends playing in the back yard. Her favorite thing was to dance to loud music in the pool in the back yard. She became second, and sometimes first, mother to some of her children’s good friends. She was soft and caring to those in need, and was known to invite homeless people to her home for a meal and for special holidays. Her family and hot cars were her life. She always enjoyed a fast ride in her 1978 silver Corvette with the T-tops open while blasting loud music. In 1981 she was able to travel to Norway with her husband and the younger children where Hans worked as a self employed consultant for a couple of years. The children enjoyed the new experience, and May made many new friends. In 1983 the family returned to their home in Bellevue where Hans continued his engineering work for many years while May continued raising the family.

During May’s later years, Hans’ work took him to Anchorage, Alaska. With the children grown, May was able to spend time with her husband both in Anchorage, and subsequently in Monrovia, CA where Hans was assigned to work the final four years of his career. May especially enjoyed the Southern California climate, and was able to spend time with her daughter living in the area, and got to spend time with her latest grandson born during her stay. She returned to her home in Bellevue late 2014. Hans returned briefly to Alaska where he retired and returned permanently to Bellevue, WA early February 2015 to take care of his loving wife. Regrettably, their time together after retirement was cut short when May fell critically ill and passed away. Fortunately they were together during May’s final days, and were able to conclude 46 years of marriage together. Besides her husband and nine children, May also leaves behind eight grandchildren that were the love of her life.