Joseph A. Kneis

Joseph A. Kneis, age 86 of Wayne, died Tuesday, April 5, 2022. He’s been a Wayne resident since 1968.

Joe grew up in Bakonyjako, Hungary during World War II. Shortly after the end of the war, his family was forced to by the Soviets to move to Germany, where he eventually settled in Munich. Joe eventually made it to the USA in 1952 and settled in Paterson. He wasted no time pursuing the American Dream and soon graduated from Upsala College where he studied Insurance. He began working for State Farm Insurance in Wayne, and by 1959 he had his own agency! Joe grew his business in Wayne for forty-three years before retiring in 2002. He was with State Farm for the entirety of his career.

Joe was a founding member of the Haledon Lyceum Sport Club, the Haledon Benefit and Social Club, and a devoted parishioner of St. Mary’s RC Church in Pompton Lakes. He was an avid sports fan, having played soccer as a young man, and later in life he enjoyed watching soccer on TV. He was a big fan of FC Bayern Munich, and had gone to Europe on more than a few occasions to see them play. When grandchildren came into the picture, Joe was there for all their sporting events and loved to watch them compete. He was even enthusiastic about going to his granddaughter’s dance competitions. He loved his grandchildren and enjoyed being there with them as they grew up. He was a fun Opa, silly, and always ready with a joke. They will all miss him dearly.

Joe met his wife, Elizabeth, in 1955 while they were both living in Paterson. She was also from Hungary and they hit it off right from the start. They married September 12, 1959 at St. Boniface Church in Paterson and enjoyed fifty-two years in a loving and devoted marriage. They traveled all over Europe, visiting Hungary on several occasions, as well as Australia, Scandinavia, and the Caribbean. To say they were ‘well-traveled’ would be an understatement, and they loved every bit of it. Sadly, Joe lost a part of himself when Elizabeth passed away in 2012, and his heart has ached ever since. The love of his family and many friends have sustained him in the years since, and he will be missed by them all.

Joe is survived by his four children; Diane Bascelli and her husband Jeff of Wayne, Kathleen Kneis of Boonton, Heidi Markell of Rivervale, and Kenneth Kneis and his wife Rosemarie of Wayne, five grandchildren; Alyssa Thompsen and her husband Matthew, Christopher Bascelli of Butler, Matthew Kneis of Wayne, Amanda Kneis of Wayne, and Olivia Markell of Rivervale, as well as one great-grandson; Tyler Thompsen of Wayne. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Elizabeth in 2012.

Donations in Joe’s memory would be appreciated to the Alzheimer’s New Jersey, www.alznj.org