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Knepp, Abraham (1943-2007)
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 Jan 15 p. 3
Birth date: 1943
text of obituary:
By Mennonite Weekly Review staff
MONTGOMERY, Ind. — A prominent Mennonite pastor, businessman and philanthropist died Jan. 2 when his small plane crashed in a field shortly after takeoff.
Abraham Knepp, 64, was en route to a Federal Aviation Administration aircraft inspection in Hartford, Ky., when the crash occurred.
According to authorities, Knepp took off from the Daviess County Airport around 1:30 p.m. Jan. 2 and apparently encountered mechanical difficulties less than a mile from the runway. Witnesses said Knepp was on his way back to the airport when the plane went down. He was declared dead at the scene.
Knepp owned K & K Industries, a roof and floor truss manufacturer he founded 30 years ago. He also founded Fresh start Mennonite chapel, an independent conservative congregation, served as a chaplain at the Daviess County jail and operated Fresh Start Training Center, a recovery ministry.
"Abe's love was flying, and he always said God was his copilot," Daviess County Sheriff Steve Cox told the Washington Times-Herald newspaper, "Abe was just one fine individual. As far as I was concerned, he was a king. He was wealthy many times over, but he didn't live like that. He shared his wealth. . . . He would give the last dollar bill out of this pocket. He'd give you the shirt off his back."
Friends and business associates remembered Knepp as a generous philanthropist who always credited God for his good fortune. When a tornado destroyed K & K Industries in 2005, friends recalled that Knepp helped coordinate local cleanup efforts even while rebuilding his business.
"In my opinion, he has probably done more for this community than anybody I ever knew," businessman Glen Graber told the Times-Herald. "He was never a taker. He was always, always, always a giver. That means so much because people who don't give, they miss a great blessing."
Knepp is survived by his wife, Viola, four children and several grandchildren.
The funeral was held Jan. 6, with burial in the Fresh Start Mennonite Cemetery.