Anthony J. Knoll, 101
Anthony J. Knoll, 101, of Marshalltown, IA, passed away Saturday, March 21, 2020, at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Memorial visitation will be held Tuesday, August 11, 2020 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with a rosary to be held at 4:30 p.m. Military Honors will be at 5:15pm at Riverside Cemetery. A Requiem Mass will be held at a later date at Anderson Funeral Homes in Marshalltown. We encourage you to leave online condolences for the family at www.andersonfhs.com.
Anthony “Tony” was born November 4, 1918, in Haverhill, IA, to George and Elizabeth (Dankbar) Knoll. He proudly served his country in the Army Air Corps in World War II as First Sergeant from 1942 to 1945. Tony was united in marriage to Virginia Pfeiffer on June 15, 1948, in Marshalltown. He was owner and operator of a restaurant, Tony’s Cafe, in Garner, IA, from the years approximately 1950 to 1955, at which time, he moved back to Marshalltown. He was then employed at Lennox Industries as a Quality Control Inspector and retired in 1984. Tony was a Roman Catholic, a member of the Society of St. Pius X, Philomena Chapel in Bremer, IA, a member of the Marshalltown American Legion for 60+ years, and a member of the Marshalltown VFW. He was honored to travel on an Honor Flight to Washington DC to see the World War II Memorial. Congressmen Rod Blum and Mark Smith recognized him on his 100th birthday with a United States flag and a State of Iowa flag. Tony and Virginia were recognized by Senator Chuck Grassley for their years of service as veterans, as well as for their 71 years of marriage. It is thought that Tony and Virginia were the longest living married WWII Veterans, being married over 71 years. Tony enjoyed gardening, taking road trips (many were religious pilgrimages), sightseeing, reading, and spending time with his family. He will be remembered for his avid love of coffee, sipping from his cup from the moment he awoke until he went to bed; also for his dedication to daily walks, and in his last years, to workouts in the recreation room at the Iowa Veterans Home.
Tony is survived by his wife, Virginia; son Tim of Marshalltown; daughters Pamela (Paul) Kavanaugh of Brownsville, TX, and Pat (Dennis) Anderson of Haverhill; five grandchildren: Shawn (Jen) Anderson of Haverhill, Mark (Katya) Anderson of Milwaukee, WI, Lisa Donahue of West Des Moines, IA, Emily (Ricardo Perez) Kavanaugh of Mt. Rainier, MD, Jonah Kavanaugh of San Diego, CA; nine great grandchildren; one great great grandchild; one sister, Mary Ann Pfeiffer of Minneapolis, MN. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Edmund Knoll, a casualty of WWII.