Samuel Knecht Jr. Obituary

Samuel Knecht, Jr.
April 26, 1942 – August 7, 2023
Wichita, Kansas – Samuel Wesley Knecht, Jr.
Sam, 81, retired electrical engineer, died peacefully at home Monday, August 7, 2023. A memorial service will be held on Monday, August 14, 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 525 N. Broadway. Sam was born April 26, 1942, in Dodge City, KS to Samuel W. Knecht, Sr. and Catherine Roach Knecht. The family moved to Wichita in 1956. Sam attended John Marshall Middle School and graduated in 1960 from North High. He attended M.I.T. and graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, Student Senate and the marching band.
His first job was as an Engineer for IBM, supporting the System 34 Computers at the KU Medical Center. He enjoyed his work as Vice President for Inventory Control at McCall’s Pattern Company in Manhattan, KS because he got to travel to their six production centers across the USA from Hackensack, NJ, to San Francisco, CA. While at K-State he and two other young computer enthusiasts with a vision of where computer technology would be going, formed Computer Systems Design. Feeling the entrepreneurial spirit, he bought their shares of the business and moved the company to Wichita in 1976. CSD was the first company in Wichita to offer turnkey microcomputers business systems and operated until 1998 when the big box stores pushed CSD out of business. Sam then became a contract computer programmer, worked on projects for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Phillips Petroleum and was the data base manager for Beechcraft’s 390 Premier I business jet.
On June 9, 1973, he married Mary Horton Knecht in Manhattan, KS. They joyfully celebrated their 50th anniversary recently. Travel was a key component in their marriage, not only in the USA but also to World Fairs in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Lisbon, Portugal; Hannover, Germany; and Nagoya, Japan. A Viking River Boat cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Sam’s other interests were WWII history, cryptology, silent movies, steam engines, science fiction, airplanes and making award winning chocolate chip cookies at both the Lyon and Sedgwick County Fairs.
He served as a trustee at First Presbyterian Church, drove for their transportation service, was on the Friends of the Library Board, helped with the Wichita Art Museum’s Art and Book Fair, delivered Meals on Wheels and was a member of the Downtown Lions Club Board and Parade Committee.
He is survived by his wife, Mary, two brothers Dr. Steve Knecht, MD, Dr. Greg Knecht, MD, four nieces and 3 nephews. Memorials established at First Presbyterian Church, Music Program, 525 North Broadway, Wichita, KS 67203; Kansas State University Foundation, Women in Engineering, 1800 Kimball Ave., #200, Manhattan, KS 66502, indicate fund M47454. To make a gift online, go to www.ksufoundation.org/give/memorials. The family wants to publicly thank the Harry Hines Memorial Hospice staff for their loving care.