Katherine Mary Knez

On January 12, 2023 Katherine “Kathy” (Servatius) Knez, loving mother of four, teacher of 36 years passed away. Kathy was the youngest of four children born to John and Mary “Kay” (Ruehle) Servatius and moved to Craig with her family when she was in the sixth grade.

She was a very intelligent, ambitious, and driven woman. She made her presence known in the community as a member of Moffat County’s first all women's cross country and track teams. She was the female winner of the Lewis “Dude” Dent award for athletic and academic excellence her senior year of high school. Kathy continued her love for learning by earning her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University, followed by a Bachelor of Elementary Education at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She was also a member of the Bureau of Land Management Fire Crew during the summers and loved to share her fire-fighting stories with her kids.

Kathy then began her 36 year teaching career as a first grade teacher; she spent 35 of these years at Sunset Elementary. Despite her numerous accomplishments, she delighted in seeing her students fall in love with learning the most. She had a passion for helping students explore their worlds through reading, writing, science and robotics. Her love for teaching didn’t end there as she raised and taught four determined children of her own. She was proud of each of them for earning higher education degrees and supported and encouraged her kids in all their education endeavors.

For many years, she volunteered as a teacher for AWANA Cubbies at The Journey at First Baptist and Religious Education at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Kathy was an active member at St. Michael’s for her entire life in Craig. She was adamant that God’s love and compassion was for all and truly made it her life's work.

She had many hobbies that kept her busy. Kathy shared her passion for gardening by gifting her home grown pumpkins and zucchinis to anyone that would take them and planting flowers wherever she could. The number of geraniums she shared with the community was unprecedented. She loved to bake and always had a freezer full of chocolate chips ready to be used. Kathy’s treats became famous among her colleagues and her children’s friends and teammates. Her secret family recipe for brownies and chocolate chip cookies often lit up the room, and she was delighted to spread the joy. Kathy also enjoyed being physically active. She loved hiking and spending time in nature. She supported her kids in all of their sporting events, spending countless hours at basketball games, volleyball games, baseball games, track meets, cross country meets, and swim meets to cheer on her kids. Kathy was known for her long walks that spanned the town with her dogs in tow.

Kathy cherished being around those she loved. Her love for animals was apparent as she could have had her own zoo with the dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, ducks, and rat she raised. Kathy’s parents lived nearby, and they played a huge role in her and her kids’ lives. She cared for her parents as they grew older and made sure her kids knew the importance of family. When her granddaughter Maya was born, she affectionately became known as “Gigi” and loved spending every available second with her. Kathy is preceded in death by her parents, John and Kay Servatius, and her brother John Ray Servatius. She is survived by her husband, Greg Knez, children Katie (Adam) Barajas, Megan (Joe) Graham, Kelly (Jason Armijo) Knez, Connor Knez, and granddaughter Maya Graham. Kathy was dearly loved and is incredibly missed already.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Craig, Colorado on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 11 AM, with a rosary preceding the service at 10 AM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a Fund for Sunset Elementary or The Humane Society of Moffat County in her honor, both of which were close to her heart C/O Grant Mortuary, 621 Yampa Ave., Craig, CO 81625