Catherine Iris Knepp

Catherine Iris Shaffer Knepp, known to family and friends as ‘Cathy,’ was born September 25, 1927 in Chevy Chase, Maryland where she spent her childhood. After the war, she moved to San Diego, California to be with her parents. 

On the train ride there, she met the love of her life, Henry (Hank) Wilson Knepp, a Navy man who promised to show her the world. Over the 63 years that they were married, they managed to see the better part of the world in their private travels.Their home was filled with memories of where they had been. In 1949 they had a daughter, Catherine Knepp Lahey, who tragically preceded Cathy in death. 

She is survived by her son, Michael Henry Knepp,who was born in 1952. In addition, she has two nieces in Louisiana, Cathy Cummings and Christie Shaffer. As a Navy family, the four Knepps spent their tours in San Diego, other parts of California and Hawaii, which Cathy loved most of all. For his final post, Henry was assigned to Kingsville Naval Station in Texas, and they eventually retired in Corpus Christi.

Cathy became a committed born-again Christian during this time. She read her Bible faithfully several times through and knew her scriptures well. When she could, she would join the church choir and loved to sing. Her church and her family were the center of her life. She also donated to numerous overseas missions, which is just one example of her tender heart. She was a kind-hearted, gentle person, and she led a very full life. She passed away on March 20, 2021. Although the number of family members who survived her is small, she will be greatly missed by them. 

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.