Eldon Royal Knopf

Eldon Royal Knopf, age 91, of Belknap Township, passed away peacefully at home on March 12, 2026, with his wife Sally holding his hand.

Born on January 27, 1935, on the Knopf Family Farm in Belknap Township to Henry and Helma (Legner) Knopf, Eldon was the fourth generation on the family’s Sesquicentennial Farm. He served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1961 in Germany as a truck driver. On June 6, 1964, he married the love of his life, Sally Kuechenmeister, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waldenburg, Michigan.

A lifelong farmer, Eldon raised dairy cows, cash crops, and later beef cattle. He was the first farmer in Presque Isle County to grow sunflowers and remained active in the Michigan Milk Producers and the Presque Isle County Farm Bureau. A lifelong member of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Belknap Township, he also had a deep fondness for Farmall antique tractors, proudly displaying them each summer in front of the barn. He belonged to the Alpena Antique Tractor & Steam Engine Club and the Tipp of the Mitt Antique Tractor Club in Onaway, and he enjoyed many evenings playing Spitzer.

Eldon is survived by his wife Sally; their children Diane (Bruce) Ganske of Rogers City, David Knopf of Rogers City, and Lorie (Stan) Reese of Posen; five grandchildren, Autumn (Justin) Madsen, Jolene (Chase McLennan) Reese, Caleb (Diamond) Reese, Chasta Ganske, and Chandra Ganske; and great-grandchildren Keegan, Gracelyn, and Brody Bushey, Jackson and Frankie St. Charles, Eli Madsen, Edith Reese, and Opal Reese, who lives in heaven, along with two more great-grandchildren expected in May and June. He is also survived by his brother Elwood (Linda) Knopf of Rogers City, his sister Karen Liedtke of Rogers City, his sister-in-law Linda Knopf of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Helma Knopf, his brother Donald Knopf, and his brother-in-law Paul Liedtke.