Joyce Knaus, age 81, a longtime resident of the Wayne, NJ area, died peacefully at home on Monday, January 2, 2017 surrounded by her family. Joyce was born on January 26, 1935 in Spring Bluff, MO, on the family dairy farm.
She attended a one-room school house up to eighth grade and later graduated from Sullivan High School. As a young girl growing up on a farm, Joyce had many of your typical farm life chores such as milking and feeding the cows. She soon got a job working at Meramec Caverns where she met a a cute city boy named Roy. He asked for Joyce’s hand in marriage on Christmas Eve of 1955 at her parent’s home in Spring Bluff and they soon married at St. Anthony’s Church in Sullivan.
Shortly before Roy’s graduation from Washington University, St. Louis, they were married and he was then commissioned in the US Air Force. During their first several years of marriage they lived in Corpus Christi, TX, San Antonio, TX, Topeka, KS, Boston, MA, then settling in Philadelphia, PA where their two sons, Mark and Brian were born. During that time Joyce graduated from Washburn University in Topeka, KS, with a bachelor’s degree in business, majoring in marketing and retailing. They then spent 3 years in Baton Rouge, LA, where their daughter, Chris, was born. Eventually Roy took a job at American Cyanamid in Wayne, NJ, and in 1970 they moved to West Milford, NJ for 10 years. In 1980, they moved to Wayne, NJ where they have lived ever since.
Joyce began her career in insurance in 1978 as an agent for Mutual of New York (MONY), later AXA, where she remained until she retired in 2011. She prided herself in her professional persistence, determination, willingness to work hard, and a strong desire to excel. Throughout her career, she qualified for numerous company awards, including MONY’s Top 50, President’s Council, and Top Club, and was inducted into MONY’s Hall of Fame which was in recognition for her outstanding sales production and service to clients.
During her career, she became a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), serving on the procedures committee and as past chairman of the MDRT membership and By-Laws and Ethics Committee. She was also active in the insurance industry association of the National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU), New York City chapter, the Bergen County Estate Planning Committee, the New York City Estate Planning Council, and the International Association of Financial Planners (IAFP).
In addition to serving her profession, she also served in her community. She was active for many years in the Wayne A.M. Rotary, having served as past president and Rotary District Governor’s representative for the club. She was also a professional advisory board member of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation and fund raised for the Wayne Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Joyce loved spending time at their homes in Bethany Beach, DE and Lake Wallenpaupack, PA. She also loved traveling with Roy, having traveled to Thailand, Hong Kong, Paris, Monaco, Cancun, Costa Rica, Key West, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
She is the daughter of the late Henry and Elizabeth (Daniken) Blesi. In addition to her parents, she is predeceased by her brothers John and Paul, and her sisters Elda, Margaret, and Virginia. She is survived by her husband, Roy Knaus of Wayne, two sons, Mark Knaus and wife Julie of Rancho Cucamonga, California, and Brian Knaus and fiancée Bonita Rutigliano of Wayne, NJ and one daughter, Chris Black and husband John, of Hackettstown, NJ. She is also survived by four granddaughters, Elisabeth, Jenna, and Cydney Black and Violet Rae Knaus, and 19 nieces and nephews.
A family memorial service will be held in St. Louis, MO. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Joyce’s name toThe International Advocate for Glycoprotein Storage Diseases, Make-A-Wish Foundation, or NJ Alzheimer’s Association. (note: you can click on the colored text of the organization and you will be brought to their online donation page. Please notate that your donation is a memorial donation for Joyce Knaus).