Josephine "Josie" Knapper

Knapper, Josephine A. Kalamazoo Josephine Ann "Josie" Knapper, passed away July 28, 2016 at the age of 88. Born on November 18, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Cornelius and Martha Bussema. She was wife to Henry Knapper for 66 years. She will be missed by her 4 children and their spouses, Carolyn, Curtis, David (Linda) and Mary Jo (Louis). She leaves behind 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild and 12 nieces/nephews. She is preceded in death by her brother, John Bussema and sister, Anna Paulsen. Josephine was a magnificent homemaker. She loved sewing, canning, baking and gardening. If you were fortunate enough to be in her kitchen you were guaranteed to leave full and satisfied. She enjoyed entertaining. Having a beautiful table setting was very important to her. She strived to be the best at whatever she did. She put everyone before herself, especially her grandchildren. She would go swimming, sledding and any other activity the kids wanted. She never missed a softball game. Her favorite activity was taking them blueberry picking. If they were with grandma, they loved it too. Josie was a sales clerk for J.C. Penny and R.M. Jones Gift Shop. Josephine was a Christian Endeavor leader and member of the Ladies Guild at Third Reformed Church (now Centerpoint). She was a leader in numerous clubs in 4-H; sewing, baking and flower arranging. Every year the Kalamazoo County Fair was her Olympics. She came home with blue, red or white ribbons and many times with the grand prize of a purple ribbon. Her presence was ever so bright and she will be missed. Visitation will be held at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street on Thursday, August 11, 2016 from 10AM to 11AM with the funeral service beginning at 11AM and a reception immediately after. Her burial will be at Fort Custer National Cemetery later that afternoon at 2:30PM. Memorials may be directed to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, Centerpoint Church or Nyakiya Primary School, P.O. Box 201, Oyungis, Kenya, Africa 40222 Must be a MoneyGram, Attn: Elija Omodi. Please visit Josephine's personalized web page for directions, online guest book or to leave a condolence. www.langelands.com