Mary Lou Knepper, 82, of Warsaw, died at 3:20 p.m. July 17, 2012, in Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne.
She was born June 4, 1930, in Warsaw, to Doyle G. and Sarah Minard Swanson. On Aug. 4, 1950, in Etna Green, she married Jerry L. Knepper, who survives.
She graduated from Atwood High School in 1948 and attended Manchester College, North Manchester, for two years, where she was working toward her teaching certificate.
She lived most of her life in Kosciusko County. While in high school she worked at Warsaw Coil in its beginning when it was in Bourbon and worked on the line for several years after the company’s move to Warsaw. She also worked in the catalog department at Sears and Roebuck, Warsaw, for several years, and for the United States Postal Service as a rural mail carrier for Warsaw’s Route 4. She was a member of Otterbein United Methodist Church, Atwood, where in years past she sang in the choir, served on its administration board and taught Sunday school. She was a member of Prairie Township Home Economics Club; Kosciusko County Choir and Purdue Extension Choir and was a Girl Scout leader when her daughter was young. She taught all of the girls how to sew on a treadle sewing machine. She enjoyed sewing, quilting and crafts in general and entered projects in the open class competitions. In her earlier years she canned what was brought in from her garden. She enjoyed NASCAR, with Ryan Newman being her favorite driver.
Also surviving are a daughter, Jackie (and spouse Jerry) Clase, Etna Green; three grandchildren: Karen (and spouse Richard) Olds, Warsaw; Shelina Ann (and spouse Michael) Pring, St Joe; and George (and spouse Kelsey) Phillips, Etna Green; a step-granddaughter, Kim Clase (and Jared Peters), Etna Green; 13 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Robert (and spouse Phyllis) Swanson and Gary (and spouse Lura) Swanson, all of Warsaw. She was preceded in death by a brother, Dan G. Swanson, who died in 1951, and an infant daughter, Debra Kay Knepper, who died in 1951.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Otterbein United Methodist Church, officiated by Pastor Jerry Thomas of the church. Burial will be in Etna Green Cemetery.
Calling is one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church.
Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw, is in charge of arrangements. ***** Memorials may be made to the Diabetes Association, 30 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2015, Chicago, IL 60602
Condolences may be sent via www.titusfuneralhome.com
