Clinton Wallace Knowles

Clinton Wallace Knowles, age 79, passed peacefully into eternal life on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Columbus, Ohio on April 14, 1947 to Ruth Ellen and George Knowles, he was the oldest of 3 sons.

The family moved from Michigan to England when he was in sixth grade and then to Switzerland. Attending an Air Force school outside London that required a 2 hour bus ride each way and then finishing the last years of high school at an international school in Geneva helped shape his character. It nurtured his love of travel, appreciation of others and different cultures, gave him flexibility, determination and adaptability. Clinton was a gifted athlete and star baseball pitcher.

Clinton met his wife Anne in economics class at the University of Michigan. They were married in 1970 and spent their first year in Boston where he was completing his MBA at Harvard. During 56 years of marriage, they were blessed with two wonderful children, Justin and Jenny, and a life together filled with faith, family, love and adventure.

Clinton served his country as a Captain in the Army Reserves. He had a career working in finance, including positions as chief financial officer. A lifetime member of Financial Executives International, he served as president of the Denver area chapter.

Clinton and Anne lived in Colorado Springs for almost 30 years where they were members of First Presbyterian Church. They loved to travel and explore different places. A favorite city was Paris where they lived twice and later, Puerto Vallarta where he caught enormous fish. He was an avid fisherman, gardener and bird watcher. He cheered on the Colorado sports teams. Shouts of Go Blue reverberated through the house on UM football days and his favorite team in March Madness was Duke.

What he treasured most was spending time with his family. He coached his grandsons in different sports, taught them how to fish, played games, shared jokes and regaled them with stories of his past. He liked to say that with 5 grandsons, we had our own basketball team. He had immense pride in Justin and Jenny and their families. His best qualities will live on in them.

Clinton faced significant health challenges, including paralysis, with remarkable strength, grit and resilience and kept his positive attitude until the end. His faith sustained him. He is survived by his wife Anne, son Justin (Jessica), daughter Jennifer (Patrick), grandsons Jackson, James, Ben, William and Jonathan, brothers Jeffrey (Kristy) and Brian (Karen), sister-in-law Susan (Joe) and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents George and Ruth Ellen. He made the world a better place and will be especially remembered for his kindness, perseverance, positive spirit, generosity, quiet strength and humor. Rest in peace, Clint. We will always love you.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Caring Ministries at First Presbyterian Church (firstprescos.org), Colorado Parkinson Foundation (co-parkinson.org) or Pikes Peak Chapter of Trout Unlimited (ppctu.org).

A memorial service celebrating Clinton’s life will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Friday, September 18 at 10 a.m.