He made Niles summers sweeter

Published 10:06 pm Thursday, June 5, 2008

By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Kenneth Knauf was known for owning and operating two successful Dairy Queen locations in Niles – one located on Grant Street, the other on Oak Street. What some may not realize is that Kenneth accomplished much more in his life.
On Tuesday morning, Kenneth, 70, passed away at Lakeland Hospital, Niles.
"He seemed just fine. He just had a stress test done not too long ago and everything came back alright," Michael Reed, Kenneth's son-in-law said Wednesday morning.
News of his death came as a sudden shock to many residents, some of whom had just spoke with him as early as Monday.
"It's a shame. He seemed fine, everything seemed to be ok with him and it did not appear anything was wrong. I saw him last week for the first time in a while and everything seemed to be going great with him," Linda Bell, who was once employed with Dairy Queen said.
Kenneth was born and raised in Niles, graduating from Niles High School in 1955. There, he played for the Vikings football team and was a member of the first wrestling team at the high school. His wife, Sandra, said he was big into most sports, but loved wrestling.
"He even went on to wrestle in college at Central Michigan University for four years," she said.
Kenneth was a member of Phi Sigma Epsilon Fraternity/honorary frat and Beta Delta Chapter of the Phi Epsilon Kappa Fraternity. He was a long-time member of the Central Alumni Association and in the Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.
Sandra met Kenneth while in college. The two have a daughter, Keri Reed and three grandchildren, Nick, Nichole and Michael. They would have celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary on June 24.
Kenneth graduated from Central in 1961 with a masters degree in Education. After college, he moved away to teach and coach, returning to Niles in 1967.
Kenneth was offered a job at Kool-O-Matic, which was located in the Industrial Park. In 1982, Kenneth bought his first Dairy Queen franchise, located on Oak Street.
"He always wanted to own a Dairy Queen, even when he lived in Traverse City, so when he heard about the location in Niles coming available, he jumped right into it," Sandra said.
Kenneth continued working for Kool-O-Matic until 1987. For the next 27 years, he concentrated on the Dairy Queen business, purchasing the Grant Street store in 1985.
"Those stores were his ambition. He loved what he did," Sandra said.
Employees of the store said Kenneth was one of a kind and his love for the two locations showed.
"He was always at the stores. He's always treated me so well and any employee who has worked for him. I worked for Ken for 26 years and was supposed to retire three years ago, but haven't left yet," Georgia Homberger said.
She explained she knew Ken long before going to work for him.
"He used to be our neighbor and when I found out he had bought the first Dairy Queen, I told him if he needed any help to call me. Sure enough, he called me and I am still there," she continued. "It's the friendship that has kept me there for so long. Both Ken and Sandy are great people."
Homberger said she will continue to work this year, but most likely will not return.
Everyone who knew Kenneth has had nothing but positive things to say. All around, he was a great man and treated people with respect.
It is unknown at this time if Sandra will continue in Kenneth's footsteps of owning the Dairy Queen stores. Cynthia, her sister, said those thoughts have not crossed anyone's minds yet. For now, they are reflecting on his life, the many things he accomplished and the positive impressions he left.
"He had many friends in Niles. He loved this town and especially our home. Since he was a little kid he wanted to live here and it was nice that so many of his dreams came true," Sandra said.