KAREN KNAPP (OLIPHANT)

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KAREN KNAPP (nee OLIPHANT) July 31, 1962 - May 23, 2006 Karen was a beautiful, loving mother to Brendan, Christopher and Rebecca. She was best friend and wife to Anderson and precious daughter to Ken and Yvonne Oliphant. She was a dear sister to her two brothers Craig and Robert and their wives Carla and Michelle respectively. She was a wonderful auntie to her nieces and nephews Heather, Adrianna and Jessica Oliphant and Kyle, Corey, and Chelsea Doucette. Karen was a special niece to Irene Baldwin and she will be greatly missed by numerous other aunties, uncles, cousins, and friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law William Knapp. She is survived by her mother-in-law Cecile Knapp, and Anderson's brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, who all reside in Kingston, Ontario. Karen was born and raised in East Kildonan. She was the only girl in her family and was the pride and joy of her parents. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg with her B.A. in Recreational Studies in 1984. Karen was a good student who enjoyed learning new things. Karen had many jobs, but her desire was to use her education and degree to give back to the community. Her calling was to serve developmentally delayed adults through Community Ventures. It was here that she met Anderson Knapp, a co-worker, and they enjoyed working and laughing together. They were married in August, 1992. The position she valued the most was that of being a mother, choosing to stay at home to raise her children. Most recently, Karen worked at Donwood South as program facilitator. She loved working there and quickly earned the love and respect of the residents. Karen was a beautiful young woman who enjoyed life and had many interests. She loved to dance and taught young children to dance. She loved to sing with her family and also at church with hymns and songs of praise. Karen had an infectious laugh when watching comedies like The Royal Canadian Air Farce and playing games with the family. The thing that she loved the most was being a mom to her three children, teaching them, reading to them, playing with them, and sharing their everyday life experiences. Karen's strong Christian faith was evident in her daily life and carried her through many difficult times. She touched so many lives in so many ways and yet she often didn't realize the impact she had on people's lives. We are all blessed for having her in our lives, even if it was for a short time. We will all deeply miss her. We believe that she is at peace now, free from pain, laughing and dancing with the angels in heaven. The family wishes to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at the St. Boniface Hospital, Palliative Care Unit for their kindness and compassion toward Karen during her stay there. A service to celebrate the life of Karen will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. at Gateway Community Church, 851 Panet Rd. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate to an Education Trust Fund for her children through the Cambrian Credit Union, 1068 Henderson Hwy. Arrangements entrusted to: VOYAGE FUNERAL HOME CREMATORIUM 220 Hespeler @ Henderson Hwy 668-3151

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 25, 2006