Richard Stephen Knapp

March 1, 1949 – October 27, 2025

A remembrance by childhood friend Lamont Ingalls and notes by his wife Fran

Richard Stephen Knapp was born and grew up in Madison, Tennessee, ten miles north of Nashville. He was the son of the late Laverne Jones and stepson of the late James Porter Clinard. He is survived by his wife Frances Connolly, his brother James Michael Clinard (Mike), sister in law Carrie Victoria Clinard (Vickie), step father Orville Hughes, brothers and sisters in law, nieces and nephews.

Richard’s intelligence and aptitude were recognized during his first years at elementary school. His reputation as the “smartest of his class” continued throughout his high school years. Richard had a facility for math and science and was also adept at public speaking. He was one of the first of his classmates to explore mathematics and engineering through the learning kits offered by Heath Electronics and by Edmund Scientific. And, like many children growing up during the early years of the Space Age, he was an incessant reader of science fiction. Following the launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957, Richard developed an intense interest in space and space travel and, as did several of his classmates, from an early age he wanted to become an astronomer.

When he entered the 8th grade, Richard discovered the art and craft of debate and became one of the principal members of the Madison High School debate team. His debating skills and facility at public speaking won him several accolades and trophies. Throughout his high school years Richard also increased his technical knowledge and engineering skills by building ever-more-elaborate electronic devices, using kits from Radio Shack and Heath Electronics.

After graduating from high school, Richard received a scholarship to Vanderbilt University in Nashville. There, he studied electrical engineering, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971. He also continued his career as a debater, excelling in this challenging and complex field. In his senior year he received VU’s Gold Medal for Debate.

Among his friends, Richard was known for having superior audio equipment, usually built from kits and then customized. He was also known as a fan of the Rolling Stones, attending their concerts in cities in the Midwest and Mid-South. He had a great love of music throughout his life, although in his later years he traded Jagger and Richards for Satie and Bach, and Gerry Mulligan and jazz.

For several years following graduation from Vanderbilt, Richard lived and worked in the Nashville area. During these years his early interest in building rudimentary computers led him to take classes in computer programming at Nashville State Technical Institute. He applied his knowledge of several programming languages to develop his decades-long career as a computer programmer, both in Nashville and in Los Angeles.

Beyond his great intelligence, curiosity about many subjects, and facility with mathematics, Richard was known to his friends and co-workers as a special soul, a person who cared about others and brought an insightful gentleness to any conversation. Richard’s had a deep calmness and a willingness to listen and to help. Whether he was giving technical advice or simply listening to personal concerns, his demeanor was one of great openness. This abiding aspect of his personality was particularly treasured by his friends, acquaintances and co-workers.

After working in Los Angeles for over a decade, Richard met Fran Connolly, a Southern California, co-worker, friendship, love story. They recognized their resonance with each other’s being, the complementary nature of their spirits and approaches to life. In 1998 they were married in Atlanta with family and friends in attendance. Their marriage was filled with love.

A Sunday afternoon walk in a neighborhood park and a fascination with mountaineering lore developed into hiking adventures—the hills and canyons of Orange County, the trails of Mt. Baldy, the canyons and mountains of Death Valley, and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Being Richard he teched up with GPS, topographic maps, camera equipment, emergency locator equipment, and Google earth to get to stunning places, some of them pretty remote. He trained at the gym and hiking every week end. He and Fran hiked to the summit of Mt. Whitney five times. The long hard hiking days were pure joy.

Before one hike up Mt. Whitney, Richard and Fran met up with Jim Taylor, Richard’s friend from high school. Jim was particularly impressed by Richard’s stamina, as when he knew him in the high school years about the only walking Richard did was from his car to the front door.

In 2015 Richard and Fran moved from Placentia, CA to Jensen Beach Fl. It was hard to leave friends and places they loved, but Richard felt it was time to make the move. Jensen Beach was a happy place for them, Fran’s family home where they had spent beach time with family, near enough to Richard’s family in Nashville, it was only a plane ride away to visit California, and Richard could continue his computer work remotely. He met new neighbors and new friends. He researched hiking in Florida and found the Tropical Trekkers where he and Fran found wonderful people and wonderful trails to hike. He loved seeing the sunrise over the Atlantic in the morning.

Richard was a twenty year cancer survivor; he recovered well after his treatment in 2005. He knew he was one of the luckiest ones. He drew inspiration and comfort from the cancer community—publications, sharing at the UCI support group, the example of Lance Armstrong. He was thankful for all his good and caring doctors, the miracles of modern medicine, and for Lyndon Johnson who got Medicare passed into law. And he was uplifted and grateful for all the prayers that were said for him—his mom Laverne’s church in Madison, his friend Alba’s prayers in person and by phone, Fran’s prayers.

In the last few years, health issues appeared one after another. He dealt with them. He never complained. He always looked for a way to adapt and live his life with Fran and his four cats. He knew he was loved. He was looking forward to the next things in life.

Richard once asked a question of one of his physicians, “Doc, is there a way to win this game?” The doctor replied, “No, but you have to keep playing”. Richard never left the game. He left this world unexpectedly, quietly, and God willing, at peace.

Throughout his life, Ricard had been on a quest to experience and comprehend the transcendent dimensions of reality. During his last year, he concentrated more intensely on this quest. Richard’s spiritual journey involved a return to the study and practice of Zen Buddhism, an interest he had from his 20s. He read several of the principal texts of the Zen masters, both Japanese and American, and accounts of enlightenment experiences of several Zen students and adepts. For several months prior to his leave-taking, as his strength allowed, he would attend a daily on-line morning meditation session of the San Francisco Zen Center. As a corollary to his Zen study, he also became reacquainted with the art of poetry. In particular, he read and studied the works of poet Mary Oliver, an American poet who explored the mystical depths within ordinary moments in nature and within a human life. Richard also occasionally read Japanese and Chinese Buddhist poets. One of the profound poems he particularly liked to meditate upon was by the 8th-century Chinese poet, Du Fu.

Facing Night

Outside a lone city, our river village rests

Among confusions of tumbling streams.

Deep mountains hurry brief winter light

Here tall trees calming bottomless wind.

Cranes glide to mist-silvered shallows

Hens nestle into thatch roofs.

Tonight, lamplight scattered across ch'in and books,

all night long, I can see through my death.

Du Fu (712 – 770)

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held at Aycock Funeral Home, located at 950 NE Jensen Beach Blvd, Jensen Beach, FL 34957, on November 21, 2025, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.

A Celebration of Life will follow on the same day, November 21, 2025, from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm.

A Committal Service will take place at All Saints Cemetery, located on NE Dixie Hwy, Jensen Beach, FL 34957, on November 21, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 1:15 pm.