Elyn Sue Knappen

Elyn “Sue” Vannatter Knappen, a mother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away on March 9, 2025, in Battle Creek, Michigan, at the age of 74. She is survived by her daughters Molly (Chane) and Emily (Bob); her grandchildren Joel (Megan); Gideon (Kila); Jonas (Grace); Elias (TBD); Margaret (Donovan); and her great-granddaughter Finley. Sue will be remembered by her siblings Marta, Lori, Carl, and Amy; her nephew Jason; her nieces Kate, Eve, Greta, Casey, Caitlin, and Courtney; as well as a host of cousins, other family members, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carroll “Van” and Evelyn (Boettcher) Vannatter, her brother-in-law, Harry “Bud” Buttorf, and many beloved aunts and uncles.

Born on August 29, 1950, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sue briefly lived in Muskegon before moving to Grand Rapids and then to Rockford as a teen. She lived in Albion and then in East Lansing while attending college. Sue was married in 1972 to Charles “Chip” Knappen III and lived in Kalamazoo with their daughters. Following their divorce in 1997, Sue lived with and near family in Bloomfield Hills and Okemos. Sue moved to northern California in her 60s. While living there, her town burned down in a wildfire. She lost everything but the car and clothes she escaped in. She returned to Michigan a few years later. Sue survived several near-fatal bouts of COVID-19 and influenza; however, her mental and physical health failed to fully recover, and she ultimately passed away peacefully in her sleep.

Sue graduated from Rockford High School, class of 1968. She began her post-secondary studies at Albion College, where she met her husband, and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, with honors, from Michigan State University in 1972. She later attended Nazareth College, graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Sue was sharp. In high school, she dreamt of becoming a Russian interpreter. Instead, she worked as a librarian at Western Michigan University, as an elementary school substitute teacher, taught needlework in Kalamazoo, and briefly worked as an emergency medical technician and in hospital emergency and psych departments. She was also a very active volunteer and served as an officer in the Kalamazoo Junior League, editing a cookbook and using the proceeds to send hundreds of children to summer camp who otherwise would not have been able to go.

Sue had a love for needlepoint and made many phenomenal pieces that showcased her artistry and creativity. She also enjoyed singing along to recordings of Broadway musicals, spending time at Lake Michigan, and reading biographies. Shopping for gifts was a major hobby. Sue gave what she wanted regardless of the recipient's needs or wishes. An aluminum, secret-agent-style, locking briefcase or a mantle clock for high school graduation gifts? Why not! A bracelet/necklace combo for a young person whose singular ambition was learning guitar? Sure! Mary Kay Satin Hands? Always!

Sue enjoyed tarot cards despite joking that they were “maybe somewhat satanic.” She surreptitiously read the cards before major life moves for herself and her children. She also loved playing cards. Sue learned to play bridge at Albion College, played in leagues for decades, and was a competitively ranked player by her 60s. She was a Presbyterian for most of her life but attended the Methodist youth group as a teen and a Lutheran church near the end. Sue loved spending time doing learning activities with her young nieces, nephew, and grandchildren. College sports, particularly U of M vs State grudge match games, were her favorite. She completed the Legend of Zelda several times. Sue's driving was always atrocious, but generations of children loved the freewheeling feeling of being on a rickety carnival ride that ended at Burger King for early morning milkshakes. (Temperance card, reversed.)

Sue cared about the environment in small, everyday ways. She kept the house in the low 60’s in winter, reused her ziplock bags, and “saved on matches” by lighting her next cigarette off the one she was currently smoking. She tried quitting smoking many times but succeeded in her late 50s. Sue smoked three packs a day for decades. Her children learned arithmetic using cigarettes as counting sticks and learned to drive by going on smoke runs to replenish her stash of Kent Golden Lights. (Yes, cigarettes were sold to minors who presented a note from their mom!) Although Sue spent years on oxygen and struggled to breathe through severe COPD, she used to say that cigarettes would fill the pews at her funeral because they had always been her friends, even after she could no longer smoke. (Don’t smoke or vape, kids!)

We will remember Sue’s love of iced tea with lemon, Bill Knapp’s chocolate cake, tapioca pudding, ruben sandwiches, good mac and cheese, Bilbo’s pizza with anchovies and mushrooms, avocado rolls, skim milk, Haagen Das ice cream bars, Diet Coke, brussel sprouts, tuna fish sandwiches, burnt toast, and Chi-Chi's nachos with jalapenos. Sue believed Diet Coke, cigarettes, and Carnation Instant Breakfast comprised a nutritionally complete meal. She thought that athletes should eat more potato chips because they “are a good source of salt,” and she liked her bacon “very crispy.”

Sue was a complex person who had many challenges and hurts in her life. While she could be a wonderful listener and comfort others, she had difficulty maintaining life-affirming relationships with those closest to her. She was not always an easy person to love, and we recognize that she lived her life with verve in the best way she knew how. She shaped our lives and left us with lessons, so many lessons, that we carry forward. After all, she was a teacher.

Because Sue requested no memorial be held, but did so at a time when her mental health was suffering, the family is working out the best way to honor her. However imperfectly she lived, it takes resilience to continue living in the wake of so many significant life challenges. Please contact the family to be included in plans for how Elyn Sue will be honored. In lieu of flowers or cards, donations can be made "in memory of Elyn Sue Vannatter Knappen" to your local high school’s musical theater production or the Dr. Alexa Veenema Lab of Neurobiology of Social Behavior, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University. We also ask that you show kindness to those in your life who need it most and “smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.”