Betty Lou Knupp

It is with sadness that the family of Betty Lou Knupp announce her passing on July 6, 2020 at the age of 74 years at Weyburn, SK.

She was predeceased by her parents, Gilbert and Beatrice Tourigny; her son Richard “Rick” Knupp; daughter-in-law Darlene Goemaat-Knupp; father and mother-in-law, Jim and Agnes Knupp; brothers-in-law, Ron Sedgewick and Gus Fystrom.

Betty is survived by her loving husband of 60 years, Glen Knupp; son: Todd (Debbie) Knupp and their children: Rylan, Austin and Jenna; her grandaughter Kaitlin Knupp; sisters: Connie Sedgewick, Irene (Don) Marno, Joan (Don) Pontius, Donna May Burton; sisters-in-law, Margaret Fystrom and Jean Canning; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Betty Lou Tourigny was born on November 11, 1945 at Weyburn, SK to Gilbert and Beatrice Tourigny.  She was the second youngest of 5 children:  Connie, Irene, Joan and Donna.  Their father was the owner of Tourigny Distributors, the John Deere dealership in Weyburn at that time.  The girls were raised at the family home on 6th St. in Weyburn and they attended Haig School and the Weyburn Collegiate.

During the summer their mother would pack up things and would take the children to White Bear Lake where they had a cabin.  They spent all of their childhood summers at the lake.  It was there that Betty developed her talent for swimming and she later became a lifeguard.  She was known to have been the youngest person to swim across White Bear Lake at the age of 12. 

Her first job was working as a cook at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital and then at an optical clinic for a short time.

Betty and Glen were married at a young age at Plentywood, Montana on March 9, 1960.   They were legally not old enough to be married at the ages of 15 and 16 but went ahead on their own anyways.  It was a week or two before their parents were made aware of this and then they were married at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in Weyburn. 

Betty attended secretarial school in Regina after being married.  Once she completed her course she returned to Weyburn where she and Glen resided on the farm near the family homestead. They built a new home, farmed the land and raised their 2 sons there.  Richard (Rick) was born in 1964 and Todd was born in 1967.

Summers were spent farming therefore her vacation time was spent with Glen and the boys at the hayfield at Forget, SK.  They would take their camper and farm equipment for haying, and would spend their time getting the hay cut and baled. Betty was the best one to drive the bale wagon to pick bales.  It was evident that she drove an open cab tractor as she endured a deep dark tan every summer.  They swam in White Lake and camped out in the hayfield.  Farming came first and if time allowed, they would go north to go fishing as a summer holiday.  Many memories were made at the hayfield and on the fishing trips.

Betty started working as a full-time secretary at Sears.  She eventually became the manager and worked there for over 30 years.  In the later years she became owner operator of Sears and moved the business to the Weyburn Square Mall.  During this time she began to introduce gift ware to her store and opened Daniel Chocolates.  This was the beginning of expanding her business.  She left Sears and opened her own business.  Knupp’s Cove was established and specialized in wedding registry and marriage licenses selling china, flatware, gift ware and expanded into selling Laura Secord’s Chocolates and Calico fudge.  Betty was known for her exquisite sweet treats and acquired many loyal customers.  She spent many hours at the store and if anyone needed to see her, they gathered there for conversation and friendship.  She will be missed by the friends and customers that she made over the years.  

She was a salesperson and entrepreneur at heart and was nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year through the Weyburn Quota Club’s, Women of the Year, many years ago.  She took pride in this nomination as she had worked very hard to establish an exclusive business in Weyburn.  She valued her professional relationships with other retail owners and believed in shopping local to support the community.

Betty also helped the family business of J.W. Apartments by assisting to manage the business of rental properties for the last 15 years. 

She also had a food concession trailer that she would take out in the summer months to sell ice cream, fudge, snow cones and popcorn to the crowds of summer fairs. 

Betty came a grandmother to 4 grandchildren.  Kaitlin, Rylan, Austin and Jenna Knupp.  She was overjoyed to be a Grandma and cherished every visit from them.  She always supported each and every one of them in their endeavors.  She especially enjoyed Ukrainian dancing, 4-H cattle shows, football and school concerts. 

Betty always made every occasion special.  She had a special gift for choosing the perfect item for everyone.  Christmas was her favorite time of year.  She always made it special and memorable for each and every one in the family. 

In the past few years Betty’s failing health prevented her from continuing to work at her business.  She wanted to return to the store but wasn’t physically able to follow through with this.  She was able to spend the last few years at home with her husband Glen, spending time cooking and caring for one another. 

Due to Covid restrictions, a Private Family Service of Remembrance was held on Friday, July 10, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. from RD Family Funeral Chapel, Weyburn, SK with Pastor Jody Pfeifer officiating. Interment followed at Hillcrest cemetery, Weyburn, SK.

For family and friends so wishing, charitable donations in memory of Betty may be made to the Weyburn & District Hospital Foundation, Box 1416, Weyburn, SK, S4H 3J9.

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