Obituary of Keith H. Knorr, M.D.

KNORR, Keith Howard lived a very full life from March 16, 1929, to March 14, 2023. He was the only child of Charles Louis & Lucile Haberly Knorr and grew up in Decorah, Iowa.  A star athlete in high school, he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Iowa in 7 years then was promptly inducted into the USAF Medical Corps as a Lieutenant, serving at Biggs AFB in El Paso, TX and Eglin AFB in Pensacola, FL, being honorably discharged in 1957 with the rank of Captain. While in medical school, he fell in love with Janet L. Allbaugh, a nursing student. They were married on Good Friday, April 3, 1953.

Dr. Knorr arrived in Ocala in 1957 to work with Henry L. Harrell, Sr., MD as a general practitioner for 4 years. He then did his 3 year Obstetrics-Gynecology residency at Tampa General Hospital before returning to Ocala. Dr. Knorr was the first board certified obstetrician/gynecologist in Marion County and delivered thousands of babies. He was the President of the Medical Staff at Munroe Regional Medical Center 1974-1975 and President of the Marion County Medical Society 1977-1978. He was the first to be trained to perform colposcopy, a type of high magnification cervical cancer test, in Marion, Alachua and Levy Counties and introduced laparoscopic gynecology to Marion County. Dr. Knorr was an American College of OB/GYN Fellow, American College of Surgery Fellow and an American Society of Colposcopy and Colpomicroscopy Fellow. He was instrumental in the creation of the nursing program at the College of Central Florida and continued to teach young nurses throughout each of his recent hospitalizations. Jan assisted him through the years in many ways in his medical practice.

Keith didn’t know a stranger. If you got on an elevator with him, he’d be your newest friend by the time you got off. He was generous with his advice, whether you wanted it or not. He made time for his beloved family, was a leader and volunteer in the community while also taking great care of his patients and delivering babies. There was no restaurant anywhere that had food he liked better than the meals prepared at home by his favorite chef, Jan.  

Dr. Knorr was a very active member of Kiwanis for 65 years, serving as a ‘Distinguished’ President of the Ocala Kiwanis Club, ‘Distinguished’ Lt. Governor of Kiwanis, and working at Camp Kiwanis & annual Kiwanis pancake days (top recruiter of sponsors for many years). He was a member and former Trustee of the First United Methodist Church. Dr. Knorr also enjoyed his sponsorship of a women’s softball team - the Stork Stars. Dr. and Mrs. Knorr supported the Ocala Civic Theater, Ocala Symphony Orchestra, Florida Sheriff’s Association, Helping Hands, United Way, Salvation Army and created a scholarship at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA. He also participated in Gator Gatherings, Tip-Off Club, Quarterback Club, Alachua Astronomy Club, Marion County Camelia Society and Tri-County Sportsmen’s Organization. He was an avid Gator fan and season ticket holder for many years for Gator football, basketball and baseball.

Dr. Knorr’s parents and 4 yr old great-grandson, Gabriel Wirtz have now welcomed him into heaven with them. He is survived by his wife of almost 70 years, Janet L. Knorr, RN, daughters, Denise Nichols (Bob), Cheryl Lindgren (Robert), Lisa Knorr & Rhonda Mack (Larry), 15 grandchildren: Bonnie Nichols Klusmeyer (Judd), Andrew Nichols, Dana Nichols Wirtz (Lucas), Caitlin Nichols Lantz (Jeremy), Leah Nichols Newell, Erica Nichols Natale (Shawn), Keith Nichols, Beau Nichols (Ashley), Alexis Nichols Fuqua (Geoff) and Ian Nichols, James Richard Knorr Lindgren (Sierre), Gregory Robert Knorr Lindgren, Andrea Lindgren, Michelle Mack Burns (Chandler) and Allison Mack, 21 great-grandchildren: Raelyn, Warren, Greta and Jonah Klusmeyer; Adelaide, Evelyn, Tobias, Beatrice and Naomi Wirtz; Joshua, Caleb, Eliza, Victoria and Sophia Lantz; Kelly and Clementine Newell; Anastasia Natale; Kenneth and Kole Nichols; Palmer and Sawyer Lindgren, and cousins Jean Meyrick Borger & Janet Haberly Wilson.

Funeral will be at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Home, 910 E. Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala, Florida. Visitation will start at 1:00. Burial will be at Phelps Cemetery in Decorah, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Ocala Camp Kiwanis Foundation, P.O. Box 682, Ocala, FL 34478, Hospice of Marion County Inc. – WE HONOR VETERANS program, P.O. Box 4860, Ocala, FL 34478 or Helping Hands Foundation, Inc., 101 NE 16^th Ave, Ocala, FL 34470.