John Knobbe, Jr., 89, of Barada, NE, passed away on July 6, 2023, in Falls City, Nebraska. He was born to John Sr. and Emma (née Niedfeld) Knobbe west of Salem, NE on September 20, 1933.
John “Johnny” graduated from Sacred Heart School in 1951. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served from 1954 to 1956. He returned home and started farming with his father in Barada. He called Barada his home for his entire life.
Johnny married Beverly Santo on December 28th, 1963 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Rulo, Nebraska.
Johnny was so proud to be married to his wife of almost 60 years, Beverly. He was proud of his ten kids and their families, his 22 grandchildren, and his three great-grandchildren. He put God and his Catholic Faith above all and he was a lifelong supporter of St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Shubert, Nebraska, and Sacred Heart School. All ten of Johnny and Bev’s children graduated from Sacred Heart High School. He worked his whole life as a corn and soybean farmer and raised cattle and hogs to support his family. Johnny’s farming community and friends in Barada were very important to him. He enjoyed spending his time at Howard’s Grocery in Barada talking about the crops and the weather, all while playing a little five-point pitch. In his later years, Johnny enjoyed spending time in his pumpkin patch with his grandkids, tending to his sweet corn patches, telling stories, and finding a seat at the slot machine or blackjack table at the casino.
Johnny is survived by his wife, Beverly of Barada; children, David (Teresa), Falls City; Theresa (Joe) Lyons Ashland; Mary (Michael) Daily, Lincoln; Christine (Rodney) Gabel, Lincoln; Matthew (Michele), Lincoln; Kent (Jackie), Falls City; Melissa (Travis) Eickhoff, Falls City; Marc (David Baillat), Washington D.C.; Jennifer (Bob) Quicke, Lincoln; Todd(Amy), Katy, TX.
Grandchildren, Katie and Emma Knobbe; Gabriel, Haley and Shelby Lyons; Nicholas and Sophia Daily; Emma and Josephine Gabel; Dylan Knobbe (Michaela), Johnathon Knobbe (Mary Kate), Bailey (Jeremy) Keithley; Chloe and Cooper Knobbe; Jacob (Sara) and Olivia Eickhoff; Estella Herrera; Eli, Charles and Alex Quicke; Mia and Ella Knobbe, great-grandchildren; Foster Knobbe, Weston Eickhoff, Harlow Keithley, brother, Bill (Leona) Knobbe and sister, Mary Austin. He was preceded in death by his parents John Sr. and Emma, and his sisters, Helen Taft and Anna Niedfeldt.
A mass of Christian burial will be held on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at 10:30 AM at St. Peters and Paul Catholic Church with Father Jim Meysenburg as the presiding priest. Interment will be in Falls City Catholic Cemetery.
A Parish Rosary will be recited Monday, July 10, 2023, at 7:00 PM at Dorr Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, donations will be directed towards Family Choice for later designation.
