Joan Knapp

Joan Ann Knapp was born on July 10, 1940, and died at home, peacefully in her sleep, on April 23, 2022. She had, for many valiant years, battled chronic heart disease. She was a devout Catholic, and enjoys already the eternal fruits of her unwavering conviction. She leaves behind her loving husband of 55 years, Raymond, her children Lory Dolan and Scott Knapp, their spouses Ben Dolan and the former Sarah Newman, her six grandchildren (Jack, Courtney, Brendan, Michael, William and Holden), and a very large swath of family and long-time friends. Joan, the youngest of five siblings, was born in Detroit to her parents, Emmanuel and Mary Tabone. She was raised, literally in the shadows of Tiger Stadium, in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. Many Maltese immigrant families, like her own, settled there. She was proud of her Maltese heritage, was a fluent speaker of the language, and a frequent visitor to the tiny Mediterranean island south of Sicily. She is predeceased by her four siblings, Caroline Smith, Evelyn Reale, Mary Brincat and Michael Tabone. Joan attended grade school at St. Vincent's and St. Bonafice in Detroit, and graduated from Girl's Catholic Central High School. She did not attend college following graduation, but while in her 40's, she returned to school, at night while working her day job, and achieved an associate's degree from Macomb Community College. She met her future husband, and love of her life, in 1963 while both worked for General Motors, and they were married in 1966. Joan and Ray started their family in Taylor, Michigan, welcoming Lory (in 1968) and Scott (in 1970). As part of the great migration out of the greater Detroit area to the northern suburbs, Joan and Ray moved the family to Sterling Heights in 1973, and remained. In the 80's, they also bought a home near Boyne Highlands / Nubs Knob, and continued thereafter to have a second home between the two great northern Michigan ski resorts. They loved being Up North, skiing in the winter, spending long summer stretches exploring the Petoskey and Harbor Springs communities, and enjoying the splendor of the Fall color changes. They were quick to offer guests to join them, or to use the home in their absence. Joan was exceptionally welcoming, and loved to host. She was a fine cook and baker, and brought those skills to bear equally at holiday party extravaganzas, and average weekday nights. Dinner was promptly at 5:00 pm. Two parents, two children, and no exceptions. She was a fierce protector of her family (and their friends). She was quick to laugh, and often at herself -- her malapropisms and mixed metaphors were the stuff of legend. Joan was happy. She was also an accomplished conversationalist, but the speaking parts were not often equally divided among the participants . . . . Joan loved to travel. She and Ray took several trips to Hawaii (including a trip they hosted for their 50th wedding anniversary, which included their children and grandchildren); and multiple trips / cruises to the Caribbean. They embarked on tours of Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, and many journeys across the pond, including vacations in Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany, Malta, and a riverboat cruise through Eastern Europe. At 79, Joan took her last international trip, to Malta, accompanied by Lory and Courtney. Growing up in Corktown caused Joan to have a lifelong love affair with the Detroit Tigers. She spoke of school days missed for Opening Day, and of regularly sneaking into the Stadium in the later innings. She instilled that passion in her children from their earliest days, and they remember well the 1976 craze surrounding Mark (the "Bird") Fidrych, and attending games in which he pitched (including, famously, the day he was "attacked" on the mound by bees). She saw two World Series champions, the latter of which she shared wholeheartedly with her family. The Knapp family was in attendance for dozens of games in 1984, including the games in which the Tigers clinched the division and the pennant, and also Game 4 of the World Series. Before the Tigers were on television regularly, she listened to nearly every game on the radio, with Ernie and Paul being token members of the family. Ray and Joan and their children were present for the last game at Tiger Stadium, and the first at Comerica Park. Indeed, the night before Joan's death, the Knapp family had plans to attend together the game in anticipation of Miguel Cabrera's 3000th hit. Alas, the rain . . . Joan's passion for sports was not limited to the Tigers. She and Ray were season ticket holders for the Bad Boy Pistons (she loved Isiah Thomas and, improbably, Ricky Mahorn), and the Yzerman-era Red Wings. But second only to her beloved Tigers, and upon sending both of her children to the University of Michigan, Joan became a die-hard fan of the Wolverines. She occasionally attended basketball and hockey games, but was a constant presence on football Saturdays. She hosted tailgates in Ann Arbor across from the Law School, nearly every home game, until long after her children had graduated. She attended multiple Rose Bowls, and was able to secure 10 tickets to the 1998 game, watching with her children and their friends as Michigan won the National Championship. Joan took great pride in the athletic and academic accomplishments of her children, both becoming attorneys, and her grandchildren. She dutifully attended the high school football, basketball, and baseball/softball games of her children; and then the tennis, soccer, and baseball games of her grandchildren. She doted on her grandson Brendan, who was homecoming king, and holds the Birmingham Groves' record for most Victory Day halftime touchdowns. She joyously watched Jack and William matriculate to the University of Michigan, and Courtney to Boston College. She watched Holden and Michael excel academically in high school, and she eagerly anticipated their future college choices. Joan also took great pride in the fact that her children have longstanding marriages to incredible and successful spouses, and have married into families with like values, with whom Joan and Ray became fast and enduring friends. Funeral services for Joan will be hosted by Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors in Sterling Heights with a visitation at the funeral home on Tuesday, April 26 from 3:00 - 8:0pm; with a rosary service at 7:00pm. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at St. Jane Frances De Chantal (38750 Ryan Rd. in Sterling Heights). Joan will lie in state in the chapel from 9:30 to 10:00, with the service commencing immediately thereafter. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Heart Association.

Joan Knapp

July 10, 1940 - April 23, 2022