Paul Sims Knechtli

Paul Sims Knechtli of Livermore died Dec. 13. He was 78.

Knechtli was born in Sacramento on April 14, 1939  to Louis and Kathleen Knechtli. He was married to Frances in 1962.

Knectli worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the machine tool services group of the Materials Engineering Division. He would often be seen at LLNL on a forklift moving lathes and milling machines to new onsite machine shop locations.

After his LLNL retirement, he liked visiting the Donut Wheel downtown, usually wearing his trademark blue jeans, plaid shirt and bright red Budweiser suspenders. 

He was always sharing his mechanical skills and vast knowledge with others. He had a knack for being able to salvage, repair and reuse things.

Knechtli loved traveling in Europe with his wife. He belonged to several organizations such as the Elks Lodge # 2117, Mosaic Lodge 218 and was an AAHMES Shriner. He was a recipient of the Hiram Award for Dedicated Service from Mosaic Lodge 218 and was a longtime candidates' coach.

Friends remember him as quite the character. He enjoyed playing percussion (piano, washboard, bike-horn and kazoo) in the Livermore Wineland Banjo Band, the Sacramento Banjo Band and the AAHMES Shriner Band. Knechtli was involved for many years in a Rubicon Dune Buggy Club.

He often enjoyed hosting his family at their riverfront family property in the Sierra foothills.

He is survived by his sons, Paul Jr. and John, his daughter-in-law and two grand-daughters.

A celebration of life ceremony was recently held at the Elks Lodge #2117 in Livermore.