Helen  Sara Rowena Knussmann (Hill)

Helen Sara Rowena Knussman, 93, Independence, MO passed away April 27, 2014. Services will be at 2 pm, Sat. May 3 at New Hope R.L.D.S. Congregation, 220 W. Moore, Independence, MO 64050; interment at Mound Grove Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 1 pm before the service at church. Memorial contributions may be sent to the New Hope R.L.D.S. Congregation Building Fund at the above address. Helen was born in 1921 in the country near Ingersoll, Ontario and lived there for ten years but moved to Windsor, Ontario in 1931 in order to get her schooling and religious training. This would have been difficult at home which was seven miles from the nearest high school. She finally got her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario then moved back to Windsor and did four years of public health nursing there. Her oldest brother, a teacher and nineteen years older than she, actually raised her from age ten. In 1952, she moved to Independence, MO supervising an orthopedic floor at “The San” for a year. She then taught microbiology, organic and inorganic chemistry, pathology and gynecology to first year student nurses for six years. In 1961 she started again in public health nursing with the Visiting Nurse Association for eight years in Kansas City, MO. She then supervised or worked in four nursing homes and retired after six years at Resthaven. She also took six years of music composition at the Music/Arts Institute and has written quite a number of songs of many types. In 1953 she married Melvin K. Knussman, a radiology technician and an Elder in the R.L.D.S. Church. They attended New Hope Church since 1995. Helen was preceded in death by her husband Melvin on Sept. 19, 2005; brothers Earl, Leslie, Carl, Kenneth and Alvin; sisters Leona and June. She is survived by brothers Bert Hill, Gabriola, BC, Canada; Archie Hill, Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and sister Mary Robinson, London, Ontario, Canada.