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May 30, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-6 PM on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9 AM on Monday, June 4, 2018 from the funeral home then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Road, Wrightstown, NJ.
Leonard “Lenny” John Knapp, Jr., age 66, of Wayne passed peacefully at home on Wednesday, May 30, 2018.
He was born and raised in Paterson and at the age of twelve his family moved to North Haledon where he went to Manchester Regional High School. Lenny enjoyed being on the wrestling team there and graduated with the Class of 1969. Through the years he lived in Ringwood, Wayne, and Coral Springs, Florida before returning back to Wayne.
Immediately out of high school Lenny earned a job with the IBM Corporation. They sent him to Computer Programing training and just after a year with the company he was drafted into the US Navy to serve in the Vietnam War. Lenny served three years with the US Navy with much of his service aboard the USS Glover. After his three years he signed up for the US Naval Reserve where he served an additional three years. He was Honorably Discharged, in 1977 as a Fire Control (gunfire control) Technician Striker Third Class- Gunners Mate. He returned to work for the IBM Corporation for twenty-two and one half years following his service. He was always fiercely loyal to IBM and vowed to never own an Apple product. For years after his career with IBM, he worked as a Real Estate Agent for Weichert Realtors in Wayne, and was most recently driving a limousine for the Carriage Limousine Company in Pompton Lakes.
Lenny met the love of his life, Cindy Hreha through his friend who was actually dating Cindy at the time. She was meant to set him up with a girlfriend until he contacted her and found out she was no longer dating his friend. He asked her out and their first date was to Seaside Beach and Boardwalk at the Jersey Shore to watch the fireworks. They soon fell in love and after only six months Lenny proposed marriage. Cindy said, “Why don’t you ask me again in six months.” Well six months later on Christmas Eve, while sitting on a love seat in Cindy’s parents’ family room, Lenny proposed a toast of Harvey’s Bristol Cream. Cindy opened the box holding the bottle and found an engagement ring inside. After getting permission from Cindy’s father, they married on April 2, 1977 at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Wayne, had a reception at the Russian Hall in Singac, and honeymooned in Florida where they enjoyed a deep sea fishing trip together.
He was a devoted New York Yankee Fan, coached softball and soccer for his daughters through the years, and enjoyed playing pool and golf. He never missed a soccer game for his girls. For many years, family vacations were planned around boating aboard the “Knapp-Time,” which he would trailer to a different lake each summer. He loved being the captain of his boat and making sure his first mates (his grandkids) were learning the love of boating as well. Lenny and Cindy always enjoyed trips to the beach and spent many anniversaries at the coast.
Lenny will be remembered as a proud, devoted, stubborn, kind and compassionate man who could strike up a conversation with anyone. He loved to be right and always got in the last word. On the exterior he looked tough but deep down he was caring and loving unless you took his favorite coffee mug, his parking spot in the driveway, or his favorite spot on the couch! He was fiercely loyal to buying American unless it was about his Coca-Cola. He was never an early riser and even his military papers cited a reprimand for “not conforming to military life so well.” Things moved on “Lenny Time” as he was always the last one out of the house and always a bit late. When it came to cooking, Lenny was the Master of the Grill (he could grill a mean steak) and he was a master at making Crepes. Everyone loved his crepes one of his favorite stories was how he made them in a hotel room for Megan’s entire traveling soccer team, including all the parents. Lenny loved his time with his family and loved vacationing together. Some of his favorite memories are of his time spent at Sebago Lake in Maine where he has family in the surrounding area. He came from a family of card players and loved to play cribbage with Megan and backgammon, and poker. He was extremely handy and could build just about anything from wood, he would always end a job with “it’s a beautiful thing". Most of all Lenny will be remember as the best Poppy in the world by his five grandchildren. He lit-up when he would see them and his heart melted with each and every hug. He was extremely proud of his girls and his grandchildren and loved his wife fiercely.
He was the loving husband of forty-one years to Cindy Knapp; devoted father of Dr. Heather Knapp-Hoch and her husband Duane of Cream Ridge and Megan Redfern and her husband Christopher of Wayne; cherished grandfather of Benjamin Redfern, Harper Hoch, Colin Redfern, Adeline Hoch, and Jackson Redfern; dearly loved brother of Bruce Knapp and his wife Donna of Ridgefield Park and Brian Knapp and his wife Alicia of Meridian, Idaho.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to Paws 4 People Foundation that assists in placing therapy dogs with veterans.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 2-6 PM on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9 AM on Monday, June 4, 2018 from the funeral home then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Road, Wrightstown, NJ.
May 30, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-6 PM on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9 AM on Monday, June 4, 2018 from the funeral home then to Our Lady of the Valley Church, 630 Valley Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Road, Wrightstown, NJ.
Leonard “Lenny” John Knapp, Jr., age 66, of Wayne passed peacefully at home on Wednesday, May 30, 2018.
He was born and raised in Paterson and at the age of twelve his family moved to North Haledon where he went to Manchester Regional High School. Lenny enjoyed being on the wrestling team there and graduated with the Class of 1969. Through the years he lived in Ringwood, Wayne, and Coral Springs, Florida before returning back to Wayne.
Immediately out of high school Lenny earned a job with the IBM Corporation. They sent him to Computer Programing training and just after a year with the company he was drafted into the US Navy to serve in the Vietnam War. Lenny served three years with the US Navy with much of his service aboard the USS Glover. After his three years he signed up for the US Naval Reserve where he served an additional three years. He was Honorably Discharged, in 1977 as a Fire Control (gunfire control) Technician Striker Third Class- Gunners Mate. He returned to work for the IBM Corporation for twenty-two and one half years following his service. He was always fiercely loyal to IBM and vowed to never own an Apple product. For years after his career with IBM, he worked as a Real Estate Agent for Weichert Realtors in Wayne, and was most recently driving a limousine for the Carriage Limousine Company in Pompton Lakes.
Lenny met the love of his life, Cindy Hreha through his friend who was actually dating Cindy at the time. She was meant to set him up with a girlfriend until he contacted her and found out she was no longer dating his friend. He asked her out and their first date was to Seaside Beach and Boardwalk at the Jersey Shore to watch the fireworks. They soon fell in love and after only six months Lenny proposed marriage. Cindy said, “Why don’t you ask me again in six months.” Well six months later on Christmas Eve, while sitting on a love seat in Cindy’s parents’ family room, Lenny proposed a toast of Harvey’s Bristol Cream. Cindy opened the box holding the bottle and found an engagement ring inside. After getting permission from Cindy’s father, they married on April 2, 1977 at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Wayne, had a reception at the Russian Hall in Singac, and honeymooned in Florida where they enjoyed a deep sea fishing trip together.
He was a devoted New York Yankee Fan, coached softball and soccer for his daughters through the years, and enjoyed playing pool and golf. He never missed a soccer game for his girls. For many years, family vacations were planned around boating aboard the “Knapp-Time,” which he would trailer to a different lake each summer. He loved being the captain of his boat and making sure his first mates (his grandkids) were learning the love of boating as well. Lenny and Cindy always enjoyed trips to the beach and spent many anniversaries at the coast.
Lenny will be remembered as a proud, devoted, stubborn, kind and compassionate man who could strike up a conversation with anyone. He loved to be right and always got in the last word. On the exterior he looked tough but deep down he was caring and loving unless you took his favorite coffee mug, his parking spot in the driveway, or his favorite spot on the couch! He was fiercely loyal to buying American unless it was about his Coca-Cola. He was never an early riser and even his military papers cited a reprimand for “not conforming to military life so well.” Things moved on “Lenny Time” as he was always the last one out of the house and always a bit late. When it came to cooking, Lenny was the Master of the Grill (he could grill a mean steak) and he was a master at making Crepes. Everyone loved his crepes one of his favorite stories was how he made them in a hotel room for Megan’s entire traveling soccer team, including all the parents. Lenny loved his time with his family and loved vacationing together. Some of his favorite memories are of his time spent at Sebago Lake in Maine where he has family in the surrounding area. He came from a family of card players and loved to play cribbage with Megan and backgammon, and poker. He was extremely handy and could build just about anything from wood, he would always end a job with “it’s a beautiful thing". Most of all Lenny will be remember as the best Poppy in the world by his five grandchildren. He lit-up when he would see them and his heart melted with each and every hug. He was extremely proud of his girls and his grandchildren and loved his wife fiercely.
He was the loving husband of forty-one years to Cindy Knapp; devoted father of Dr. Heather Knapp-Hoch and her husband Duane of Cream Ridge and Megan Redfern and her husband Christopher of Wayne; cherished grandfather of Benjamin Redfern, Harper Hoch, Colin Redfern, Adeline Hoch, and Jackson Redfern; dearly loved brother of Bruce Knapp and his wife Donna of Ridgefield Park and Brian Knapp and his wife Alicia of Meridian, Idaho.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to Paws 4 People Foundation that assists in placing therapy dogs with veterans.
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