Born
December 5, 1911
Unknown

Died
April 29, 1985
Unknown

Parents
Alexander Martin Jacob Knittel
Sarah Josephine Irene "Dollie" Boyle

Siblings
Louis Lyle Knittel
Grace Anna Knittel

Spouse
George Frederick Chace
Married September 17, 1938 in St. Phillip Neery RC Church, Bronx, New York

Children
Two children, still living

Life Story

Ruth Frances Knittel was the third born but second surviving child of Alexander and Dollie Knittel. She was born on December 11, 1911, 18 years after her brother Lyle. She had blue eyes, and as a child had blond hair. She was affectionately called "little blondie" by her big brother.

Ruth was by far the youngest of her cousins on both sides of her family and was actually closer in age to the children of her cousin Susie Knittel (daughter also named Susie and born in 1905) and her cousin Julia (daughter Charlotte born the same year as Ruth). The first cousins closest in age were still 12 to 15 years older: Alexander Pappert (b 1897), Edward Walder (b 1898) Alexander Walder (b 1900) and Lillie Stolzenberg (1900). While all of her cousins lived nearby, she probably saw the most of her cousin Lillie, as Lillie's mom, also named Lillie, and her mother, Dollie, were sisters and quite close.

Ruth completed high school and went to work for Metropolitan Life Insurance until after WWII. In September 1938 she married George Frederick Chace at St. Philip Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx, NY. Her husband's work for the army required them to move to Aberdeen, Maryland and then to Jacksonville, Florida until 1939. They shared a small wood Bungalow with another officer and his wife until George received orders to go on overseas duty. George's overseas assignment took him to England, France and eventually on to Germany with the 9th Air Force as a specialist in booby traps, bombs and ordinance during the remainder of WWII. While he was in France, Ruth lived with her mother on Decatur Street until her death in Feb 1941, and then with her Aunt Lillie and Cousin Lillie on Marion Avenue in the Bronx. After George returned from the war in 1945, Ruth had found an apartment for their home on the same street where her Aunt Lillie lived.

In August of 1946, Ruth and George's first child, Thomas Robert was born. Her daughter Dorothy Ann was born three years later in September 1949. During this time, Ruth and George lived with George's parents and his brother Robert in a two bedroom cape cod house where they added two bedrooms in the attic. Their goal was to save money to buy a car, and eventually in the 1950's they purchased a car they called "Bucky" from an army buddy.

In December 1971, Ruth's husband George died. Two years later she became a grandmother when her son, Thomas, and his wife had a son. In 1975 her second grandchild, a daughter, was born. Ruth and her daughter Dorothy remained in the home until May of 1978 when she sold the home and moved with Dorothy to her first home. Ruth died April 29, 1985 of heart disease and is buried with her husband, brother, and sister in law at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

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Updated 11/20/14