26 Apr Gary Knoll

Gary Ellsworth Knoll, 85 of Bismarck, ND passed away on April 20, 2021 at home. A family service will be planned at a later date. Friends and family may sign the online guestbook and share memories with Gary’s family at www.bismarckfuneralhome.com

Gary was born June 24,1935 to Gustave and Evelyn (Haugen) Knoll of Hoffman, MN and graduated from Hoffman High School in 1953. Following high school, he attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and graduated in 1957. That summer he married Joyce Kirkvold whom he had met at college.  They raised three children, son Dana and two daughters Sarah and Mary in their 63 years of marriage. In his 32 years of insurance claim work they lived in Duluth, New Brighton, and Cambridge, MN. His family life activities consisted of hockey, horses, boy scouts, campfire girls, camping, 4-H club/fairs, and water/snow skiing. He was also involved in volunteering at both of his church communities of Cambridge Lutheran and Hope Lutheran in Walker, MN. After he and Joyce’s retirement they moved to their lake home they built in the Leech Lake area of Walker, MN on Lake Benedict. They enjoyed lake living and the nearby bike trails for 19 years. Gary and Joyce also visited most of the states in their travels across the U.S. In the spring of 2016, they moved to Edgewood Village in Bismarck, ND to try city living in the Midwest. They enjoyed being close to family in North Dakota and having their Idaho and Alaska families visit them in their new hometown.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents and brother and sister-in-law, David and Susan Knoll and sister-in-law, Jean Emholtz, and his faithful lab companion, Percy.

He will be deeply missed by his wife Joyce; son Dana Knoll (Sandy), daughters Sarah (John) Perbix and Mary (Mike) Goolie; grandchildren Jack and Darby Knoll, Cody Perbix and Catelyn (Thomas)VanNess, and Madeline and Isabel Goolie; and great grandchild Hayze Perbix; and nieces and nephews and their families.

Gary’s family will have fun road trips to make to spread his ashes in his favorite places of Lake Benedict, the Lake Superior shores near Duluth, and the horse pasture he cleared of 100 Norway pine trees down Little Africa Road outside of Cambridge, MN.