Obituary of William H. Knudsen

Name: William H. "Bill" Knudsen Date of Death: Sunday, April 22, 2007 Residence: Rome, NY Age: 73 Obituary:William H. (Bill) Knudsen, 73, passed away Sunday, April 22, 2007 at Rome Hospital Long Term Care Facility after a long and courageous battle with heart disease. Bill graduated from Rome Free Academy in 1950. He was enlisted in the US Airforce from 1952 to 1957 and attained the rank of staff sergeant. In 1953 Bill Knudsen married his most cherished wife Jennie Nobis from Taberg, NY while stationed at Biloxi AFB in Mississippi. They were married 54 years. Bill enjoyed fishing, was an avid bird lover and a loyal NY Mets fan; he was a tenacious baseball player as a young man. He took pleasure in family and friends. Spending time with his grandchildren was very important to him. His sense of humor, strong and determined nature enabled him to keep a positive outlook on life in spite of his pain and suffering. Bill could quickly inspire anyone that met him with his enthusiasm for life. His will to live was kept strong because of his great love for his family. Bill Knudsen was a parishioner and benefactor of St. Paul's Catholic Church, a longtime member of the Rome Elks Lodge and Rome Lions Club and an inductee of the Rome Sports Hall of Fame for a National Bowling record for highest team series score in a nationally sanctioned event. Bill was a long time member of the Rome Businessmen's golf league. After leaving the USAirforce in 1957 Bill Knudsen worked for General Electric in Syracuse and soon after purchased Ferguson Auto Electric Company in Rome, New York where he built a forty-five year old family business as the region's first John Deere dealership, Knudsen and Sons John Deere. He was the founding partner of BNK (Bentley Nobis Knudsen) Trucking Company in 1962, which still operates business today. Later Bill Knudsen and Sons established the Central NY area's first new and used automobile broker business, Knudsen Auto Brokers, operated today by Bill's son Tom Knudsen. The Knudsen family would like to express their deep gratitude for the professional care and assistance provided by the staff at Rome Hospital, particularly the extraordinary compassion provided by the third floor extended care nursing staff. Sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife Jennie and their four children, William R. Knudsen (wife Marlene), Patricia (Knudsen) Spencer (husband Mark), Robert Knudsen (wife Colleen) and Thomas Knudsen (wife Christine) all living in Rome; thirteen grandchildren, Jennifer (Spencer) Quong, Michelle (Knudsen) Lucia, William M. Knudsen (wife Marla), Timothy Knudsen, Allison Spencer, Kelly Knudsen, Thomas J. Knudsen, Sara Knudsen, James Spencer, Katie Knudsen, Elizabeth Knudsen, Mallory Knudsen and Chelsea Knudsen; and five great-grandchildren, Bennett Knudsen, Caden (Spencer) Quong, Jade (Knudsen) Lucia, Michael Knudsen, and Madison (Spencer) Quong. He is survived by his two sisters, Jerry and Joanne and brother John Knudsen. Bill Knudsen was predeceased by his parents Howard W. Knudsen, and Kathrine (Maloney) Knudsen. Services: Funeral services will take place on Wednesday at 10:15am at the Nunn and Harper Funeral Home, Inc., 418 N. George St., Rome, and St. Paul's Church at 11am. Interment will take place in Rome Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday from 4-7pm. Contributions in Bill's memory may be made to the American Heart Association.