Remembering Craig Knock

Just received this email from Bernie Hendricks via Paula (Hoffman) Platz:

Craig Knock passed away 12/27/09 one day short of his 59th birthday. He had a heart attack on 12/24/09, just after swimming his daily laps at the Y. This was a guy of tremendous talent and gifts. He was a skydiver, underwater diver, world traveler, snow boarder and great friend. He leaves behind his wife Michelle, sons Josh and Paul, sisters Kay, Patty and Kim and brother Kent. Arrangements are pending, possibly will be Jan. 9 or 10th in Rapid City
　
Craig Knock, Teacher, AKA “The Nutty Professor”. Bill affectionately tagged Craig that Nutty Professor after years of being educated by the “Big Guy”, another tag he had for him. A visit at Craig’s meant a look through the microscope, the compost, a journal article or a taste of a nutritious vitamin concoction or something so exotic as dehydrated sea water. He was the consummate researcher, analyzer, challenger, and explorer of everything important in life. And it didn’t stop there, he was a passionate learner, and an equally passionate “teacher”, always excited to share his vast knowledge. And like any great teacher, he was always checking for understanding, “Did you read that article I gave you (your latest assignment) or listen to that CD or check out the website? No one could be in Craig’s presence without learning something new. He approached every day of his life with a gigantic appetite to learn and to share.
I sent Craig the same directions to my parent’s country home as I did to all my other friends I had invited to a pre-reunion party at my parents home in 1989. But Craig was the only one who called for more specific directions. He was the only one who wanted to know where the power lines were. I didn’t leak a word to any of our friends. The party was is full swing; there were the old friends, spouses and children gathered for a picnic full of reminiscing when a plane started circling the yard. It took only seconds before I saw the guys looking skyward and saying, “It has to be Knock”. And then the children started running towards that parachute dropping from the sky right into the middle of our picnic. There he was, the guy we loved for always amazing us.
All of Craig’s family can cherish the pride he had in them. As much as he loved to teach, he loved to see his family benefit from whatever he could teach them, diving, snowboarding, landscaping, gardening, pond making and so much more. He wore his love for Michele, Josh, Paul, Kay, Patty, Kim, Kent and his mother in law as proudly as he wore his purple socks. It was so evident as he shared stories of his interactions with them. His love for his parents came through in his reminiscing of times past. Although we found out his physical heart was not so perfect, his emotional heart was one gigantic, perfect heart. His love and generosity to friends and family could not have been more perfect.
He extended his pride to his employees also. We heard praises of Ted and Guy from Craig. He taught them well and they were a part of his success in his business. They were more than employees; they were friends and a source of pride to him.
Craig Knock, the Explorer and King of Adventure. Could anyone love seeing the world any more than Craig? What a gift he gave in sharing that adventure with Josh, his sisters and Michele, by taking them to places many of us would not think to explore in our lifetime.
If only he could have been president to straighten out this crazy country. He certainly had an opinion on what those… “Idiots”…. in DC were doing wrong. He was passionate in his political views and thrived on letting you know exactly what they were. He was never one to be meek in anything, especially not in politics. Whether you agreed with him or not, you had to love the passion he had for his beliefs and his love of debate. I never had the pleasure of being in the company of Craig and his mom and siblings at the same time, but according to Vern, it was usually an intense verbal exchange of ideas and opinions in rapid fire. Something described by Vern as everybody talking at the same time, yet still hearing whatever the others were saying at the same time. As we all know there was no lack of intelligence among the Knock clan, and that intelligence just spilled out from them.
Intelligence, love, generosity, strength, pride, oh so many positive traits we admired in him. I feel so privileged that he confided in me his love for Michele from the time he met her. As we would ride the chairlift together, he spoke so highly of this woman he met at dance class. I saw a softer side of the Big Guy when he talked of Michele. Then when we finally met the mystery woman, we loved her too. I remember how he beamed when we met them for supper in Deadwood and he had something to show us…the ring on Michele’s left hand. He had found the love of his life, and she hers. They packed a tremendous amount of love in those five too short years of marriage. She made his life complete; we saw a more settled Craig after Michele. She was the balance he needed. He enjoyed seeing her on her snowboard, learning all he could teach her. Never one to brag about all the talent he had in so many things, he enjoyed the right to brag about how Michele could carve those boards.
The dynamite days will never be forgotten among the friends from the class of ‘69. I shall not put in writing exactly what the dynamite days were. Hmm, lets see, bridges, old houses, and carp come to mind. We would all be in prison should we do those dynamite activities today. Perhaps when Craig meets his old chemistry teacher Guy O. Karnes in heaven, he will remind Craig again to “Just be careful with that stuff.” And if there was a sign that said Do Not Enter, Danger, that was an invitation to Craig and his followers. The Rochford Mine was a yearly event, Craig, Vern, Mark among others hanging from the rafters in a condemned mine, with me cringing in fear of their antics in a place marked Danger, Keep Out.
Did you ever know you were my hero, everything I wish I could be? That would be the song; those are the words I would sing to Craig. He was everything many of us wish we could be. He loved a challenge, had no fear, live-on-the-edge kind of guy, let nothing get in his way of adventure and the adrenalin rush. Dive out of an airplane or into the ocean, fly a plane, ride the snow like a 20 year old, he did it all. He leaves us too soon, but he leaves his mark on all of us. His heart beats still in all of us, he shared his heart with all of us. To be more like Craig, take some chances, go the extra mile, be generous, never stop learning, never stop seeking new information and share…especially share love in a big burly way.
When we got that call with the bad awful terrible news of Craig’s heart attack, I could not conceive of my world without Craig in it. Given some time I have realized, my world will always have Craig in it. Knowing Craig, having the gift of his friendship is everlasting. I have known Craig for over 40 years, my husband has known him 20 years, and we agree, he has impacted who we are and we are better people because of Craig. He taught us well. 20 years ago when I said to Bill, “You have to meet my friend Craig”, I knew they would click and click they did. As we all have, he has lost a dear friend. Whether it be all of his almost 59 years, 40 years, 20 years, or 5 years, it is a great loss to all of us, to the world he cared so much about. So long dear friend, skydiver, see you in the sky.