William ""Bill"" Knotts

William E. "Bill" Knotts, age 57, of Minneapolis died Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Sunday, December 6th at the Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield with Pastor Mike Zylstra officiating. Visitation will be from 12:00 until the time of service on Sunday. Burial will be in the Lake Ripley Cemetery with Military Honors provided by the Litchfield Military Honor Guard. William Ellsworth Knotts, the son of Howard and Olive (Wolf) Knotts, was born July 24, 1952 in Litchfield, Minnesota. He graduated from Litchfield High School in 1970. He attended Control Data Institute before entering the US Navy in 1971. After four years of active duty service Bill returned to Minnesota and enrolled at Dunwoody Institute to become an electrician. He retired from the Navy Reserves in 1997 as Chief Petty Officer. Bill was a 30 year member of the IBEW Local Union 343, and for the past 20 years, until two weeks before his death, worked for Heights Electric of Columbia Heights. In 1998 he was diagnosed with a rare liver disease which eventually lead to his death. For most the time since the diagnosis he was able to manage the symptoms of the disease and enjoy an active lifestyle. He enjoyed his work, as well as woodworking, especially designing and building furniture, designing and building his house, travel, cooking, and using the computer to compile and restore family photos. Bill is survived by his mother, Olive Knotts of Minneapolis, formerly of Litchfield, brothers, Merrill of Minneapolis and John of Waseca, sister, Twilla Roue of Fosston, besides nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Howard.