Darwin Maynard Knapp

Darwin M. Knapp

Darwin M. Knapp, age 89, passed away on November 28, 2014 at Country Meadows West in Mechanicsburg .  He was born in Linesville, PA on July 29, 1925 to Floyd B. Knapp and Millie Little, who are both deceased.  In addition to his parents, Darwin was predeceased by a brother, William Stanley Knapp, of Andover, OH, and two stepbrothers.

Darwin and Barbara (Callen) Knapp were married on June 16, 1946.  In addition to his beloved wife, he is survived by a son, Gregory Webb Knapp, and his wife, Mary (Eilers) Knapp, of Victor, NY; a sister, Doris Brothers, of Erie; and several nieces and nephews.

Upon graduation from high school in Andover, OH, Mr. Knapp enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and served from August 30, 1943 to May 19, 1946.  He saw action on Saipan, Iheya-shima, and Okinawa as a communications specialist in Headquarters Company Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion attached to the Second Marine Division.  After an honorable discharge from the service, Mr. Knapp attended the University of Akron , Akron, Ohio, where he earned a B.A. degree in psychology and speech and hearing therapy.  He was then granted a graduate assistantship at the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center at Case Western Reserve University , where he earned his master’s degree in audiology and speech pathology in 1950.  Mr. Knapp was offered the position of clinical audiologist and speech pathologist at the former Delaware Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.  In 1963, he was recruited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for the position of Program Chief, Hearing and Speech Services.  Later, he was asked to assume the duties of Program Chief, Cleft Palate and Plastic Surgery, as well.

Mr. Knapp served as an active member in a number of professional organizations, among which were: the Delaware Speech and Hearing Association; Pennsylvania Speech, Hearing and Language Association; and American Speech, Hearing and Language Association.  Mr. Knapp served as president of the National Association of Speech, Hearing and Language Programs in State Health and Welfare Agencies; the Hearing Conservation Committee of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and the Hearing Conservation Committee of the Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology.

Mr. Knapp established many state-wide centers to provide for the identification and treatment of children with communication disorders including cleft lip and palate, congenital and acquired hearing loss, and chronic medical problems of the ears, nose, and throat.  Altogether, these children numbered in the tens of thousands over Mr. Knapp’s service tenure of more than 25 years.  Mr. Knapp retired from the Health Department in January 1988.

All are welcome to join Mr. Knapp’s family at his gathering of family and friends on Thursday, December 4, 2014, from 10:15 a.m. until time of service at 11:00 a.m. at Myers - Buhrig Funeral Home and Crematory , 37 East Main Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055; with Reverend Anne Myers officiating.  Interment will follow in Rolling Green Memorial Park in Camp Hill, where military honors will be presented by the Cumberland County Honor Guard .  Cremation was private.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Homeland Hospice , 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg, PA 17110.  Mr. Knapp’s family has entrusted his care to Myers – Buhrig Funeral Home and Crematory in Mechanicsburg, (717) 766-3421.

Read Mr. Knapp’s full obituary, view his memorial video and portrait, and sign his official guest book at www.Myers-Buhrig.com .