Wanda Lee Knippenberg

Wanda Lee (Sanft) Knippenberg, age 84, of Delaware, Ohio, passed away on September 25, 2026.

Wanda was born on August 22, 1942, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Glenwood and Viola Sanft. Though life eventually brought her to Ohio, St. Paul remained an important part of her story and will be where she is laid to rest.

Wanda was preceded in death by her parents, Glenwood and Viola Sanft, her brother Glen D. Sanft, and her beloved husband, Louis J. Knippenberg.

She leaves behind her children, Deborah (Knippenberg) Stohl and James Knippenberg; her grandchildren, Christopher Stohl, Lauren Knippenberg, Michael Stohl and his Fiancé, Rachel, and Melissa Walker and her husband, Randy; and her treasured great-grandchildren, Ramaius, Maujai, Harley Rose, Vanessa, Cameron, Qadir, Randi Leigh, Arrow, and Rhylan.

To simply list Wanda’s family, however, cannot begin to describe what they meant to her. She was madly in love with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and immensely proud of each and every one of them. Her family was at the center of her world.

Wanda was stubborn, funny, fiercely independent, and deeply devoted to the people she loved. She enjoyed reading, working in her garden, sharing lunch with her friends, and, above all, spending time with her family. And if you ever found yourself at Wanda’s house, chances are you didn’t leave hungry. Feeding the people she loved was just one of the many ways she cared for them.

For her family, Wanda was more than a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was the solid foundation that held everything together. She was a source of strength, consistency, laughter, love, and home. Her presence gave her family roots, and the love she poured into them will continue through the generations she was so proud to call her own.

Her absence will be deeply felt—in the family gatherings, the conversations, the meals around the table, and all of the ordinary moments that now mean so much more. But Wanda leaves behind a family forever shaped by her strength, her humor, her fierce independence, and, most of all, her love.

Visitation will be held at Kessler & Maguire Funeral Home in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m.

Wanda will be laid to rest alongside her husband and those who went before her at Acacia Park Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 1:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Wanda’s memory to the American Diabetes Association or The National Kidney Foundation.

Wanda’s life was measured not simply by her 84 years, but by the family she loved, the people she cared for, and the generations who will carry a piece of her with them always.

She was our foundation. She was our home. And she will be loved and missed beyond words.