Cover photo for Pauline Mae Knittel's Obituary
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In Memory Of
Pauline Mae Knittel
1932 2022

Pauline Mae Knittel

February 4, 1932 — August 20, 2022

Pauline Mae Knittel passed away on August 20, 2022. She was 90 years old and a resident of McCrite Retirement Home in Topeka, KS. Pauline was happily married to Robert "Bob" Knittel (deceased) for 64 years and the mother of five children: Mark Knittel (Joanne) from Bellingham, WA; Jack Knittel (deceased (Maria Knittel MacLean)) from Colorado Springs, CO; LeeAnne Kongs (Mike) from Topeka, KS; Susan Spradley (Prentice) from Colorado Springs, CO; and Amy Curnel (James) from Frisco, TX. She loved being an aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She enjoyed traveling to visit her children and grandchildren and was able to take many trips with Bob and her children all over the U.S. and Europe, and loved the beach and mountains. Pauline was an accomplished pianist and artist who enjoyed sharing her love of the arts with her family.

After graduating from Wyandotte High School, Pauline worked for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, KS, where she hand-painted greeting cards featuring flowers, kittens, children and puppies. We saw this talent come to life in later paintings of flowers and landscapes. She married her husband, Bob, on September 5, 1953, and went on to enjoy life in Kansas City, Arizona, and California before settling in Topeka from 1966 onward. While busy as a mother, she also enjoyed sewing, painting and participating in the Topeka Art Guild, where she was an active member. Pauline co-owned a gift shop in Topeka and worked for a frame shop and the Kansas Legislature.

One of her proudest memories was the purchase and renovation of a 200-year-old stone home outside of Topeka. She, Bob, and the children all worked on the house while they lived in it. Pauline greatly enjoyed sitting with Bob on the back patio of that stone house to watch the sunsets as well as going on long country drives. She painted numerous beautiful landscapes based on the scenery from that home and her visits to her children's homes.

Pauline is preceded in death by her parents Dean and Anna Rowden, sisters Betty Cline and Dorothy Neustadt, brother James Dean (JD) Rowden, husband Robert (Bob) Knittel, and son Jack Knittel.

Her children will host a celebration of Pauline's life on November 22, 2022, at 11:00 AM in Topeka, KS, at First Baptist Church, where she was an active member. Pauline will be buried next to her husband in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Kansas City, KS.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be provided to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to Midland Care, 200 SW Frazier Circle, Topeka, KS 66606.

To share a memory or to leave a special message of condolence for Pauline's family, please visit the guestbook below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Pauline Mae Knittel, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Celebration of Life

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Starts at 11:00 am (Central time)

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Interment

Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens

, Kansas City, KS

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