Ed Knutson began to love woodworking in high school, said his mother, Lucille Crandell.
“Ed took a mechanical drawing class,” his mother said. “That’s where it started. He became a master craftsman.”
Her son, who worked at Tiz’s Door Sales Inc. in Everett for more than 27 years, built entertainment centers, fireplace mantels, furniture for his grandchildren and kitchen cabinets.
“Saturday mornings we’d wake up and hear the saws,” said his son, Matthew Knutson. His father died Jan. 14. He had cancer and suffered a heart attack.
Ed Knutson was born 60 years ago in Kensal, N.D., to Vernon and Lucille Knutson. His father had several jobs, first in Montana, then Seattle where he was a manager with Ernst Hardware. Ed Knutson graduated from Shorecrest High School in 1969.
He worked as a tow truck driver and in an automotive garage. Ed Knutson is survived by his children, Steven Knutson, Cassandra and Dan Boland, and Matthew and Monika Knutson; siblings Kay Briggs, Douglas Knutson and Kathy Watkinson; and grandchildren Maxwell Boland and Aliya Knutson.
Their father raised his children as a single parent during their teen years, said Cassandra Boland. They lived in Lake Stevens and stretched every dime.
“He cooked,” Boland said. “He’d see what was in the cupboard.”
Her twin brother said they often ate Tater Tot Surprise. His father baked a banana “Friendship Bread” for friends.
“He loved to have company over and barbecue,” Matthew Knutson said. “He was a great dad.”
His father was deaf in one ear, Matthew Knutson said. He exceeded the life expectancy for a rare type of cancer that was diagnosed two and a half years ago, but it recently returned. His son said he only missed two days of work at Tiz’s during cancer treatments.
Jim Reeves, production manager at Tiz’s, said Knutson built wooden entry door systems, did custom jobs and made service calls.
“Ed was the best craftsman,” Reeves said. “We said this is what we want and he built it.”
If it snowed, Knutson would get in to work, Reeves said. If he was needed on a Saturday, Knutson would be there.
Patti Wright, purchasing manager at Tiz’s, asked Knutson to build a special shelf for her husband for a birthday present.
“He was a master at woodworking,” Wright said. “He was a no-nonsense kind of guy who could sure tell a good story, especially after a beer or two.”
Ed Knutson was a regular at Hawkeye’s in Lake Stevens. It was a place his family felt welcome and comfortable.
“They have great food there,” his mother said. “Ed was left-handed, but he was a good pool player.”
Cassandra Boland said Hawkeye’s was a second home for her father. He even had his special seat at the end of the bar, because of his deaf ear, where he could hear the idle chatter.
Her father was the kind of a dad who would watch “90201,” just to be with his daughter, she said. He enjoyed all the Seattle sports teams, wearing blue jeans and sweatshirts, listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, watching the Everett Silvertips, and fishing and hunting.
His daughter-in-law, Monika Boland, said her family in Poland loved Ed Knutson. He traveled there when Monika and Matthew Knutson got married.
“He was a wonderful person,” Monika Knutson said of her father-in-law. “He raised three kids on his own and did a good job.”
The family enjoyed camping. An uncle had property at Mineral Lake and Ed Knutson loved going there to enjoy the outdoors, his son said.
His father rode a motorcycle, had a demolition derby car and built a dune buggy, Matthew Knutson said.
“There is wood in the garage,” his son said. “We don’t know what Dad was going to do with it.”
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451; oharran@heraldnet.com.
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