K.J. Knerl

K.J. Knerl, 69, passed away Friday, July 19, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 A.M. Saturday, July 27, 2024, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Ponca, NE. Visitation with the family will be from 9:00 A.M. until service time. The family will have a private burial at a later date at Calvary South Creek Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Mohr Funeral Home/Meyer Brothers Funeral Homes.

K.J.’s family requests that guests wear Rock & Roll or Ponca attire if possible.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Calvary South Creek Cemetery Endowment or The Ponca Educational Foundation.

K.J. was born September 14, 1954, in Sioux City to Parker and Jeannine (Kobold) Knudsen. She attended Sioux City schools and was a member of the final graduating class of Central High School in 1972. Following high school, she attended Stewart’s School of Cosmetology and received her cosmetology degree. She worked for the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office as a legal secretary before joining her husband, Kelly, at Knerl Ford in Ponca, NE. Following her years at Knerl Ford, she was employed by Great West Casualty Insurance Company, where she retired after 21 years of service in 2021.

K.J. married Kelly Knerl in 1980, and resided in Ponca, NE, where they raised their two sons, Ryan and Greg, who were her pride and joy. She enjoyed attending numerous concerts with them and was especially fond of Alice Cooper, whom she saw approximately twenty times. Besides rock concerts, she also enjoyed sipping wine and anything crafty. Oscar Carl Winery was a favorite spot of K.J.’s. She loved the serenity of the winery, as well as the people she and Kelly met there.

Survivors include her loving husband of 43 years, Kelly; sons: Ryan (Veronica) and Greg (Brittany) of Sioux City; her grandchildren: Kaydence and Tatum (T.J.), and six step-grandchildren; sister Kelly Hill of California and brother, Kerry Knudsen of Florida; brother-in-law: Jeff (Kathie) Knerl of Ponca, NE, and sister-in-law: Bonnie McCormick of Omaha, NE. She is also survived by numerous loving nieces and nephews.

K.J. was preceded in death by her parents: Parker Knudsen and Jeannine Miller, her in-laws: Pat and Phil Knerl, and brothers-in-law: Adam Hill and Rich McCormick.