Obituaries

Rudolph “Carl” McKnight, Sr. Rudolph Carl McKnight passed away Saturday, November 6, 2004 at a Ventura hospital.Mr. McKnight was born to Samuel and Jesse McKnight on October 11, 1923 in Oklahoma. He and his father came to California when Carl was 5. Carl attended schools in the Bakersfield area. In his youth he also worked hard to help support his family. Carl served in the Army during World War II stationed in El Paso, Texas. He was honorably discharged at the end of the war.Carl met and married the love of his life, Beulah M. Dean on September 27, 1943 in Ventura, California. He began his long, 50-year career in the citrus industry at age 17 picking lemons in the fields of Santa Paula. He ended his career by retiring in January 1989 after serving most of that career in management and as president of Saticoy Lemon Association. Carl loved his job and was highly respected by his peers, his employees, and citrus growers for his knowledge and business skills in the industry.Carl is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Beulah; daughter and son-in-law Linda and David Chapman of Utah; daughter and son-in-law Susan and Alan Hunt of New Hampshire; son and daughter-in-law Richard and Deborah McKnight of Camarillo; sister and brother-in-law Jeanne and Carl Winker of Illinois; and brothers and sisters-in-law Chester and Norma McKnight and James and Sharon McKnight, all of Maricopa. Carl will be dearly missed by his 11 grandchildren, Roger, Kim, Chris, Randy, Lisa, Todd, Clint, Jason, Ryan, Casey and Toby; and 13 great grandchildren, Cody, Tyler Sierra, Cierra, Hannah, Ann Marie, Trent, Samuel, Ford, Ashley, Oscar and Thor, who knew him as “PaPa.” PaPa loved playing with all his “babies,” he was very proud of them all and each one was very special to him. He was preceded in death by his son, Rudolph Carl McKnight, Jr. of Michigan.Services for Mr. McKnight will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 12 at the Faith Community Church in Fillmore, 461 Central Avenue. Burial will follow at the Santa Paula Cemetery. A reception in Carl’s honor will follow the burial back at the Faith Community Church social hall.The family wishes to thank the ER and ICU departments of Ventura County Medical Center for their wonderful care and compassion shown to Carl and the entire family during this difficult time.Because of Carl’s love of youth and high school football, memorial donations can be made in his name to the Buena High School Athletic Fund.Arrangements are under the direction of Pierce Brothers Stetler Mortuary in Santa Paula.Emma Catherine VarnauEmma Catherine Varnau passed away quietly and peacefully October 29, 2004 at age 87 near her daughter in New Mexico.She was born in Mississippi and her family moved to Santa Paula after the depression. She married Kenneth Varnau in 1936 and they operated a poultry ranch on Pleasant Valley Road in Oxnard until 1986. They were married 52 years.Emma was active in the First Presbyterian Church in Oxnard for over 50 years. She served 25 years on the Ventura County Election Board and was very active in 4-H.She is survived by her daughter, Shirley Sloop of New Mexico and son, Keith Varnau of Washington, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren.A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 20 at the First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard at 12 noon.William “Bud” RemenspergerWilliam “Bud” Remensperger, of Santa Paula, returned home to his Creator on Thursday, November 4 after courageously dealing with a difficult illness for two years. He was born February 3, 1932 in San Francisco.He served in the Navy during the Korean War for six years. He worked as a mechanical engineer in aerospace for several years, and also worked in childcare services and publishing. He later took various odd jobs to put a potato on the table while he did what he really wanted to do.Everyone who knew him would remark on what a warm, kind and considerate human being he was (and still is I’m sure). Many a time he’d have a tear in his eye over something he deeply felt. And his sense of humor never took a back seat either.He passionately read and loved to discuss the Founding Fathers of America and the whole saga of forming the Constitution. He especially admired Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, who he sometimes identified with because Lincoln was not always comfortable in his tall body either. Politically he was an independent.His greatest joys in life were good conversation, Cuban music, hot food, the color yellow, French Citroen cars (he had five during his lifetime), and tinkering with anything that didn’t work – Rube Goldberg style, and essentially just doing anything creative.