Dr. Donald F. Knepper, DO

Don grew up in Northwest, Missouri, and graduated from Tarkio High School in 1961. Don was a man of many interests, and his life experiences showed it. His 1st year of college was spent at the University of Idaho where he studied Forestry. He returned to the Kansas City area to live with his parents and work with his father for the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Chiefs, he saw them win Super Bowl IV. After the big win, Don returned to school at UMKC where he graduated with his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Pharmacology in 1969. After Pharmacy school, Don attended the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, where he graduated in 1971 and did his residency at St. Luke’s Hospital. In 1972, Don married Jennifer Barr and had two sons, Gregory and Christopher. Don loved school so much he taught at the Osteopathic College in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 1 year. When Don and his family returned to Kansas City, he worked for General Motors in Fairfax where he retired after 28 years.

Don enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, smoking meats, and reading western novels. He loved to be outdoors in his garden, on his fishing boat, or with his relatives walking hedgerows looking for pheasant and quail.

Don is preceded in death by his mother and father who are buried in Mound City, Missouri.

Don is survived in death by his wife, Jennifer Knepper, Kansas City; his sons, Christopher Knepper, Kansas City, and Gregory Knepper and his wife, Sandra Knepper and his three daughters, Elizabeth, Ava, and Addison Knepper. Also surviving is his sister, Kathy Dowell and her husband, Bennie Dowell, Deer Park, Texas, and their sons, Johnny and Mark Harsh and their families. Don was very close to his cousin, Mike Knepper, Ft. Meyers, Florida, and Carol Barr, Kansas City, and her sons, Todd Barr and Matt Barr, Kansas City.

The family would like to thank Interim Healthcare and Hospice for helping take care of Don in his final days and making him as comfortable as they could while he was at home.

Masonic Services for Don will be held Thursday, June 22, 2023, from 4 - 4:30 PM at White Chapel Funeral Home, (6600 NE ANTIOCH RD, GLADSTONE, MO 64119), followed by a visitation from 4:30 to 6 PM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Don's memory may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, (2361 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, New York 10306 US) (www.t2t.org) or Pheasants Forever, (1783 Buerkle Cr, St. Paul, Minnesota 55110 US), (www.pheasantsforever.org).