Kjell & the Knutsens'
"I am not afraid of dying. It is not something I dread. I have had a good life, and I know that the life has come to an end. You have not lived a complete life until you have died. And I am grateful for all it has contained; both that which has been painful and that which has been joyful. That is part of my life." - Kjell Knutsen on his 88th birthday. (4 months before his passing)
We are preparing to go to Boise for a grand family reunion to celebrate the completed life of my father Kjell Knutsen. He passed over on November 23, 2016 - my daughters 13th birthday. A happy sad day. I had hoped to be with him for his passing, and knew I would be missing my daughters birthday - the first one in her life - but did not quite realize how quickly things would progress and was three hours away. He was with good friends who sang him on his way with his favorite hymns. I haven’t had a chance to reflect deeply on his life or grieve his passing, since I tend to do that in private and process over a period of time. The world and life has been too chaotic for me to focus on that process. But tonight, while watching a slide show of his life put together by my brother Lester, I finally broke down and cried for the loss and change in my life. But now I feel can fully celebrate his life with the entire, kind of large, family joined by his many friends.
I am grateful for all the people that were a part of my dad’s life and helped him in any way, especially in his last few years. I deeply thankful for my family who helped care for him - especially his wife Debbie and my brother Svend.
The Knutsens' celebrating the completed life of Kjell C. Knutsen
