Samuel Knoll

Burlington,

Samuel Henry Knoll passed peacefully in his home in Burlington, North Carolina on December 26, 2020.  Sam was born on April 4, 1940, in Cincinnati, OH. He was the son of Alvin H. Knoll and Martha Irving Knoll and is survived by his sister, Marcia Knoll Forde, and predeceased by his brother, David Howard Knoll.  Sam attended Walnut Hills High School and graduated cum laude from Yale University with a BE in Chemical Engineering, and was a member of the Yale Glee Club, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Tau Beta Pi, and the Whiffenpoofs (where he made lifelong friends).  Sam received the New York Yale Club High Scholar Award and the Prize for Excellence in Chemical Engineering.  He went on to earn his MBA, magna cum laude, from Stanford University and was the winner of the William B. Faville Memorial Scholarship.

Sam had a successful career in business serving as CFO of Canberra Industries and later president and owner of Home Health Products. Sam was also very supportive of his children and their business ventures.  He was Senior Warden at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in New Haven, CT, served on the board for the Virginia Beach Public Library, was president of the Omena Village Preservation Association, a member of The Omena Historical Society, The Omena-Traverse Yacht Club, and volunteered at S.C.O.R.E.

Sam enjoyed life to its fullest.  He loved his summers clamming on Martha’s Vineyard and sailing and water gun fights with his grandchildren on Lake Michigan.  He enjoyed good food and drink.  He was especially proud of his membership of The Knot’s Beer Club in Omena, MI, and is immortalized on their ceiling.  He was also a proud member of the Omena Breakfast Society (OBS).  Those who knew Sam knew him to be a dignified man with the deepest sense of integrity and honor.

Sam is survived by his wife, Sharon Etheridge Ladd Knoll, his son Samuel Huntington Knoll, II, and his wife Courtney Hedgepeth Knoll, Ph.D. of Durham, NC, his son Charles Irving Knoll, MD of Eureka, CA, and his daughter Katherine Knoll Godwin and her husband Jason Lee Godwin of Wilmington, NC, as well as his former wife Carol Hines Knoll, of Durham, NC.  He is also survived by his loving grandchildren Samuel Huntington Knoll, III (Hunter), Jonathan Henry Knoll (Jack), Griffin McNeill Edwards, Robert Harold Godwin, III (Harry), and Samantha Henry Godwin.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, MichaelJFox.org, or to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ASPCA.org, in memory of Samuel H. Knoll. Sign an online register book at www.omegafsc.com. Arrangements are in the care of Omega Funeral Service & Crematory. 

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