Michael R. Knorek

Michael R. Knorek, devoted husband, father, granddad and self-proclaimed greatest euchre player in the world, passed peacefully to join his beloved wife Friday, March 25, 2011 at the age of 82. A native of Rossford, he played basketball and football for the Bulldogs before accepting a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Detroit, where for a short period he played alongside his brother Lee. After injuries cut short his basketball career, he enlisted in the army during the Korean War despite a draft exemption because his height made him difficult to outfit for combat. After the war Michael, the son of Michael and Domatilla (Minnie), stepson of Katherine and brother of Lee and Daniel would marry Margaret (Peggy) Collins. Together they would have three children, Colleene, Maureene, and Michael Lee, and the three of them will attest to his never missing a single one of their games, recitals, bees or other childhood event. An extraordinarily social man, Michael loved being around people, whether it be in one of the many bars he owned or co-owned, his career in food service sales and management, or at card table playing gin, euchre or poker. An eternal optimist, Michael's golf career was noted mostly for his futile attempts to clear water hazards at distances well beyond his range, prefacing each unsound swing with the phrase “God hates a coward.” But his real love affair with the water came as a boater where he could round up his family and take to the waters of the Maumee River and Lake Erie with stops at Cedar Point, Put-in-Bay, Kelly's and West Sister Islands. His time on the water provided his happiest moments with the exception of the time he spent with his grandchildren Olivia, Ethan, Joshua and Claire. Besides his three children, Michael is survived by his grandchildren along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and the “angel” of his life in his last years, Chung He Nichols, whom he called Sunni. A Memorial Mass will take place Tuesday at 11 a.m. in All Saints Church, 628 Lime City Road, Rossford, where the family will receive friends beginning at 10 a.m. Interment will be private.

Michael R. Knorek

June 18, 1928 - March 25, 2011