Paul Anthony Knueven

Paul Anthony Knueven of Somerville, Ohio, much beloved brother, friend, and uncle, passed away January 28, 2024.  He was 76 years old.  His dog, Tuffy, a Siberian Husky mix, was at his side.

Paul was a certified public accountant who worked for over forty years for the federal government in the Government Accounting Office and later the Bureau of Land Management.  He was married for 48 years to the late Susan Weil, a dedicated and much appreciated art teacher in the public schools in Denver, Colorado, where they lived.

Paul was born in Mason, Ohio, on a 115-acre dairy farm where he was raised with his ten brothers and sisters by two strong, persevering parents, Lou and Jo Knueven. He seemed to love farming as much as his father, and was always a helpful hand.

He graduated from Moeller High School where he played trumpet in the marching band.  He graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics.  He joined ROTC and was a 2^nd Lieutenant at graduation. 

From the beginning Paul showed a strong will to do things his way and not give up.  He was called to serve in the Viet Nam war, a war he greatly opposed.  With strategic persistence, he was instead sent to Korea to head up a platoon and was honorably discharged two years later. He never got over the death of his friends in Vietnam. He thought the government had given up their youth for no reason.

Paul returned home to Mason in 1974 to help his father rebuild the farm after the tornado of ’74 had done great damage.

Looking for an opportunity to use his degree and still dissatisfied with the US government, he and Susan went to Canada where he was employed by the government to teach the Indigenous people new methods of farming.  While there, he and Susan were married by an Indigenous Chief in the back of a General Store.

He returned to Cincinnati and earned an MBA at Xavier University in Accounting, then became a CPA.  He joined the US Government Accounting Office and later the US Bureau of Land Management, both in Denver.  He received many honors while working there in management and conservation.

Paul also showed great fortitude in caring for his wife who struggled with illnesses, especially the eight-year duration of multiple myeloma that ended her life.  He did everything possible for her in their house to provide comfort and medical support.   After her death he was delighted to return to Ohio where he set up his dream place, got a big dog, and began enjoying the country and being close to family again. 

That enjoyment ended with a serious accident at home, then failing health in the past year. Regardless, Paul never complained and as always, kept going, with the help of his siblings.

Paul’s strong sense of justice for those with less, his love and concern for the proper care of the land, and his long years of devotion to his wife were all hallmarks of his life culminating where it began, on farmland where he belonged.

He is survived by his siblings, Margaret Knueven, Mary Jo Knueven (Richard Brett), Leo (Mary Jo) Knueven, Judy Knueven (Frank Scudder), Anne (Richard) Meyer, Elizabeth Knueven (the late Robert Goyer), Rita Knueven (Frank Lade), Joan (Tom) Vinciguerra, Catherine (Denny) Benson, and Thomas (Kathryn) Knueven; his brother-in-law, Gary Weil (Amy Greenfield); many nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews.  In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Josephine Knueven.

There will be a gathering of family and friends to celebrate his life at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the International Myeloma Foundation (www.myeloma.org) or the Dumb Friends League (www.ddfl.org).