John William Edward Knauss, 74, of West Palm Beach, FL, formerly of Winchester, VA, passed from this world on Monday, October 22, 2018 after a long illness.  He was born June 26, 1944 in Wichita, KS, the son of Albert J. Knauss and Lucy Clink Knauss. He lived there until 1972 when he moved to Virginia to begin a job with the federal government.  John was a 1962 graduate of East High School in Wichita, KS and attended college at Wichita State University.  Following college, he was employed by FEMA and later Homelad Securities as an engineering technician until his retirement in 2004.

John married Victoria Marie Tate on October 25, 1975 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winchester, VA where they lived until 2017. They then moved to the West Palm Beach, FL area to be near her sister, Alice.

John was an eagle scout with the Boy Scouts of America, and an assistant scout master with troup 63 of Winchester. He was a very conscientious and caring person toward people, animals and nature. He loved camping and being outdoors. John was very dedicated to his work with the government and helped to start the OSHA safety program at FEMA. He traveled across the globe for his work and had many interesting stories to tell.

Of his many assignments through the government, John was appointed by the Marine Corps and sent to Vietnam in the 1960’s to train servicemen in the proper use of firearms and marksmenship. Practice target ranges were set up on and near the front lines.

He loved having fun, especially interaction with people and children, and deeply loved his cats; Poppins, Ginger, Sam and Jackson.

He is survived by his wife, Victoria; his sister-in-law, Alice Vermilye and her boyfriend, Tim Woodcock; his brother-in-law, John Coryea of Wichita, KS; several nieces and nephews; and a sister, Marlene Roets whos location is unknown.