| Curia Generalizia dei Marianisti August 14, 2005 Death Notice No. 11 (To all Unit Administrations): The Province of the United States of America recommends to our fraternal prayers our dear Brother, RICHARD KNUGE, priest, who died in the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 6, 2005, in Dayton, Ohio, in the 80th year of his age and the 61st year of his religious profession. Father Richard K. Knuge was born on April 3, 1926, in Dayton, Ohio, to Ralph and Dorothy (Burman) Knuge. He had a younger sister, Dolores. As a third grader, Father Richard offered to help the Sisters do sacristy work. “This was a thrill for me,” Father Richard wrote in a 1944 letter. “Perhaps this was the sowing of the seed of my vocation.” After graduating from Chaminade High School in Dayton in 1943, Father Richard entered the novitiate at the Marianist Preparatory in Beacon, New York. He professed first vows on August 19, 1944, and perpetual vows on August 20, 1949. He was ordained a priest on July 22, 1956, in Fribourg, Switzerland – a desire he first realized in grade school. Father Richard received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Dayton in 1947 and a M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from Xavier University in Cincinnati in 1962. Father Richard’s early teaching career in the late 1940s began in the Northeast, first at St. Michael’s in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by three assignments in New York: St. John’s Home (Rockaway), Most Holy Trinity High School (Brooklyn) and Chaminade High School (Mineola). After Father Richard was ordained, he returned to the classroom. For almost 20 years, from 1958 to 1977, he served as principal, teacher, chaplain and guidance counselor at many Marianist schools in Ohio, Kentucky and Florida, including Hamilton Catholic High School in Hamilton, Ohio; Purcell and Moeller High Schools in Cincinnati; Cathedral Latin in Cleveland; Covington Catholic High School in Covington, Kentucky; and Chaminade High School in Hollywood, Florida. He taught English and history, two of his great loves. “Father Dick loved the English language. If you needed grammar checked, Dick was the one to go to,” said Bro. Ron Overman. “He loved to read historical novels and discuss them with the community at dinner.” In 1977, Father Richard experienced a major career switch when he became director of the Marianist Mission in Dayton, a fundraising organization for the Marianist order. He held the position for more than nine years. “The job was a real learning experience,” Father Richard wrote in his 60th jubilee autobiography. “I was able to visit Marianist locations in Africa, Korea, Japan and Australia.” Following this assignment, he worked in development, counseling and career placement for the University of Dayton for five years. From 1992 to 1994, he returned to the academic world as president of Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida. Father Richard considered his five-year stint as a hospital chaplain in the 1990s at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton his most interesting ministry. “Dealing with life and death on a daily basis was a blessing for me. I had experiences I will never forget,” he wrote in his 60th jubilee autobiography. In semi-retirement at the Meyer Hall community at Mount St. John in Dayton, Father Richard played backgammon and cribbage, read and helped with priestly service at neighboring parishes. He corresponded with many friends. “He was an extrovert who was very welcoming and sought out people,” said Bro. Ron. “He created many long-lasting friendships.” “I was attracted to the Marianists by the strong example of community life I saw as a student at Chaminade High School in Dayton,” Father Richard wrote in his 50th jubilee autobiography. “Sharing my love of Mary with others has been an important part of my life . . . I still learn from her each day.” Father Richard died of pneumonia and complications of cancer at Miami
Valley Hospital. May he rest in peace. |