William c Knaak

Dr. William C. Knaak, Jr. January 16, 1928 - October 2, 2025
Former 916 Superintendent, University Professor, International Education Consultant, author, White Bear Lake Mayor, and community leader.
Bill Knaak passed peacefully on October 2, 2025, at St. Therese in Shoreview. Our immediate thoughts, concerns, and prayers are with Jean Thompson Knaak, his wife of 42 years, who labored to keep him comfortably at home until just this past week.
His was a classic story in many respects of his generation. Grew up on a dairy farm in Grey Eagle, Minnesota, smack dab in the middle of the state, graduated as valedictorian from Grey Eagle High School, went to college at St. Cloud State on the GI Bill (life member of the American Legion and past commander of the UM American Legion post), taught for a few short years at Swanville and Rochester, then at White Bear Lake. Was with the Minnesota Department of Education as Assistant State Director of Vocational Education, then returned to White Bear, where he became Assistant Superintendent for Business Affairs and was placed in charge of the explosive first great growth spurt and facility build-out of the district back in the 60s. He was then appointed Superintendent of the newly minted Intermediate SD 916, where he was also a builder of their very first, state-of-the-art facility.
A passionate vocational educator, he pioneered competency-based, individualized instruction, beginning with the innovative system created for 916, and started a successful consulting career that took him all over the world, resulting in the publication of three books. All the while, he was the Mayor of White Bear Lake and President of the White Bear Lake Chamber of Commerce. He "retired" to teach at the University of Minnesota's Department of Education for three years and, with Jean, owned an education and training company, as well as starting two successful small businesses. He was a lifelong, devout Lutheran who served as President of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, sang in the church choir for 20 years, and initiated the partnership between Prince of Peace Lutheran and Bomalangombe Congregation in Tanzania over 23 years ago. Not one to ever brag, he was nevertheless immensely proud of the fact that he had managed to visit dozens of different countries in his lifetime.
A man could not have been a better father.
Bill is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jean Thompson Knaak; his children, Fritz, Marci (Carl Hornfeldt), Mark Hanson (Joelynne) and Jill Hanson; and his grandchildren Ben, Andrew (Amanda), Joe, Paul, and Mary Knaak; Ryan (Rebecca), Julia, and Justin Hanson; Jonathan Thompson Roe, Elizabeth Hanson Roe, and Alexandra Kleinfehn (Adam); great-grandchildren, Harlow, Bodie, Elaina, Adalyn Hanson, and Alayna Kleinfehn. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Elenora, his sister Helen Hubinger, his former spouse Dee, mother-in-law Mabel Thompson, and beloved aunt Beulah Rohde.
Services will be held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville, Minnesota, on Saturday, October 18, gathering at 1:00 pm, funeral at 2:00 pm, and reception with Bill’s favorite funeral food at 3:00 pm. The burial will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on November 3, 2025.