William "Bill" Alfred Knowlton

William Alfred (“Bill”) Knowlton was born in the family home in Berkeley, CA, on September 14, 1932, a few minutes after his twin brother Robert Leroy (“Bob”), to become the youngest child to join the family of James A. & Mary L. Knowlton. The wee boys were placed in a shoebox and placed on top of the stove to keep them warm. The twins joined their older sisters Viola Mae, Mary Kathryn, Edna Fay (“Dollie”), and their 18-month-old brother, James Alanson, Jr. (“Jim”). Grandfather Knowlton soon moved the family of eight to a larger home in Oakland, while Grandmother Knowlton, now faced with three boys under the age of two, assigned each of their three older daughters to assist with their care! Dollie, being the youngest daughter at 11, was charged with caring for Bill, which likely set the course of the rest of his life. Toward the end of the Great Depression and not wanting to bring his boys up in the city, Grandfather Knowlton moved the family to a quiet little home on Freedom Boulevard between Aptos & Watsonville, which they named “Shady Springs”. There the boys were enrolled in the old, one-roomed, Valencia Schoolhouse and enjoyed their new country life with trees to climb and hills to roam, two mules to hitch to the wagon to pick up hay for the animals, and happy visits from their older sisters who had remained in Oakland as WWII raged on. The family soon moved to “The Big Ranch”, at what once was the end of Calabasas Road, and the boys advanced to Watsonville High School, where Bill and his twin brother graduated in 1951. Bill then attended Hartnell College before joining his brothers in other adventures together and working in the logging industry near Laytonville, CA, until the Korean War took both Jim and Bob into military service. Now faced with life without his brothers as companions, he made his way to Seattle and sailed aboard a steamship to the small town of Petersburg, Alaska, where he spent a year of fishing and carpentry while living with his big sister, Dollie, and her family. By the mid 1950’s Bill was back in Watsonville working as a carpenter building homes & schools with his father who by then had moved to the Buena Vista home in Freedom, purchased from the Medeiros family who happened to have a daughter named Judy Lee! Wouldn’t you know it, the two fell in love, and soon eloped to Sparks, Nevada where they were married in the town’s City Hall on March 24, 1958. By May of 1959 their son Bill Alfred, Jr. was born, followed by their daughter, Lee-Anne, in September of 1962.

Bill was a busy man in those early years as his family was growing! Not only did he build his family’s first home (with the help of his father, his brother-in-law Frank and nephew, Lanny) but he also formally established his own residential/commercial building company, Knowlton Construction, in September of 1961. His business grew and soon became a well-respected company in the Watsonville area, earning an A+ rating by the local Better Business Bureau, based largely upon the values of honesty & hard work instilled in him by his parents. Bill so loved his work that he never even considered retiring and was still running his 64-year-old business at the time of his death. His family intends to continue his legacy by maintaining his company, Knowlton Construction, for the foreseeable future.

Bill’s family, however, remained his first love, earning him the endearing nickname of “Pampeez”, so affectionately bestowed upon him by his grandchildren & great grandchildren. Bill and Judy so enjoyed family gatherings and took many camping trips to Yosemite, Thousand Trails at Uvas Meadows, or Seacliff Beach with them in their comfy motorhome. Another of Bill’s loves was the freedom he enjoyed when flying, often just taking off to Harris Ranch for a good steak dinner with Judy. (Anyone who knew him, knew of his love of BBQ-ing and his obsession with the latest BBQ!) He was proud to have maintained his pilot’s license, carrying it in his wallet for all to see, well beyond the time he should be commanding an aircraft!

With his family and business well underway, and after the loss of his father & failing health of his mother, Bill reflected on the true meaning of life and its purpose and began to more seriously consider his Christian upbringing and the benefits of living one’s life in harmony with the principles found in the Bible. Supported by his “Bunny” Judy, Bill was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in June of 1974, and thus began another phase of his life in service to his God in the local Green Valley congregation, eventually serving as an elder for the past 45 years. Bill’s faith was hit especially hard with the loss of his twin brother, Bob, due to Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2001, but his hope in the resurrection promised through Jesus Christ (John 5:28-29) carried him through that loss and many more to follow.

Bill was predeceased, not only by his parents and each of his siblings and spouses, but he had to endure the loss of his beloved wife, Judy, just weeks prior to their 65th anniversary in March of 2023. His hope to be together with all his lost loved ones, melodically defined in his favorite song, “Just Around the Corner”, has buoyed his spirits throughout these past two years until he suffered a severe stroke on June 8th and took his last breath surrounded by his children & close family on June 10th 2025 at age 92 ¾ .

Bill is survived by his son, Bill A. (Lauri) Knowlton, Jr., and his daughter, Lee-Anne (Paul) Moreno; his grandchildren, Jessica (David) Galaviz, Samantha (Tom) Parra, and Nicole (Fabio) e Silva; his great grandchildren, Penelope, Thea, Romeo, and Makayla; numerous nieces & nephews; his constant companion, Billie the Cat; along with many cherished friends who already miss him dearly.

Ave Maria Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements, including private burial services at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park, followed by a public memorial service to be held on Saturday, June 28th, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 480 South Green Valley Road, Watsonville, CA at 2 p.m.