Alfred H. Knebel

Alfred Knebel went to be with the Lord on July 3rd, 2018. Al was born on May 23rd, 1929 near Pierron, IL to Walter W. Knebel and Lena Catherine Spengel. Raised on a dairy farm he was no stranger to hard work. He graduated from St. Paul High School in Highland, IL in 1926. He joined the Army shortly after WWII as an X-ray technician and served for just under 2 years. After his service he attended the University of Illinois where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1952. While in college he met Ellen Stratmann in Highland, IL and they married in 1953 in St. Louis, MO. He later obtained a Masters Degree in Engineering Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. After college he went to work for Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in St. Louis where he was involved in enriching Uranium for the US Government. He then went to work for Kerr McGee Nuclear Corporation which brought him to Oklahoma where he remained for the remainder of his career and life. For Kerr McGee he also worked in the chemical division and finally in the technical division. He lived in Muskogee as well as Oklahoma City finishing his career at the iconic Kerr McGee building downtown. The many projects he managed for Kerr McGee took him around the World including Korea, Japan and Botswana as well as much of the US. Travel was one of his great passions and he and Ellen have been to numerous countries on 6 continents. He also enjoyed the American West traveling with the family in a pop-up camper. He was a life-long Catholic and attended St. Eugene's Church where he had been a parishioner since 1967. He was passionate about helping others donating his time to St. Eugene's as a leader in the very active senior's group for 20 years. He also volunteered preparing taxes for seniors with AARP Tax-Aide and driving mobile meals for many years. Al is survived by his wife Ellen and their daughter Ann Carter and husband Mark of Fairfield, CA and by sons James of Oklahoma City, John of Enid, and Robert and his wife Kelly of Camas, WA. He is survived by grandchildren Ryan Carter and Sarah Carter, Madison Langford, and Nicole Murillo. He is also survived by his brother, John and his wife Marie and sister-in-law Dottie (William). He is preceded in death by brothers Donald, William, and Thomas, as well as sisters Celeste and Dolores and husband Elmer Blasco and his brother John's first wife Dorothy. Throughout his life he maintained close ties to his brothers and sisters with a family reunion every year at Table Rock Lake in Missouri. Memorial donations may be made to St. Eugene's Catholic Church.