John Douglas Knapp

John Douglas Knapp, 91, of Kimball, died at Kimball Health Services on Friday, April 6, 2018. Cremation has been held and graveside services will be held at a later date. Friends may visit http://www.cantrellfh.com to view Doug's Tribute Wall and leave messages and stories for the family. Memorials may be given in Doug's memory to the Friends of the Kimball Library or the University of Nebraska Foundation for the College of Law, 1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE, 68508 The services for Doug have been entrusted to the Cantrell Funeral Home.

John Douglas Knapp was born in Ansley, Nebraska on September 29, 1926, the son of Bert and Gladys (Mills) Knapp. He graduated from the Ansley High School in May of 1943. He served in the US Army from 1945-1947 in the United States and Japan. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1950. In 1952 he graduated from UNL with a bachelor's degree in law and in 1955 he received his Juris Doctor from UNL Law College. He was married to Joan Larson in 1957 and to this union Mary Louise and Jayne Douglas were born. After practicing law for 17 years in Kimball, he was elected to the office of County Judge in 1973. In 1974 Governor James J. Exon appointed him to District Judge in the Nebraska 19th Judicial District, where he presided until his retirement in 1999. He held memberships in local, state and national bar associations. He served on the Nebraska Supreme Court when it sat in division to alleviate overload of cases. Prior to his judicial career, he served as member and chairman of the Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission. He held memberships in the Kimball Masonic Lodge where he was a past Master, Friends of the Kimball Library, VFW, American Legion and Trinity United Methodist Church. He was Treasurer of the Kimball Library Board during the planning and construction of the present Kimball Public Library.

Survivors include his wife Joan Knapp of Kimball, NE; children Jayne (Todd) Hutton Bellevue, NE., Mary Louise McNeil of Omaha, NE., and Kristin Curzon of Tulsa, OK: grandson Kenneth John McNeil of Kimball, NE; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother James M. Knapp, sisters Joanne Uhlman and Bertie L. Dunn.