Obituary of Ute Sieglinde Knowlton

Ute Sieglinde Knowlton was born January 31, 1943 in Ulm, Germany.

 

Ute moved to the U.S. when she was 21.  Becoming a U.S. citizen was a high point in her life.  She loved her German heritage, but was extremely proud of the work it took to become a U.S. citizen.

 

She worked for the Coca-Cola bottling company for 35 years, holding various jobs, from working in the front office to giving bottling tours to students and visitors who wanted to see how Coke was made, bottled and distributed.

 

Through mutual friends, Ute met Don Knowlton.  They hit it off and were married May 29, 1982, blending her two kids with his two into a fun-loving, active family.  Their marriage was one to be envied.

 

Ute was an active member of the Grand Lagoon Yacht Club for nearly 40 years.  She served in 1994 as the vice commodore, then in 1996 as the second ever female commodore.

 

She and Don liked to travel, visiting Europe and the Caribbean.  They also savored their lives together in Pensacola, fishing, boating, enjoying raft-ups, bloody Mary’s on the GLYC dock, soaking in their hot tub, hosting Christmas parties, and drinking wine at sunset on their porch.

 

The hardest thing Ute ever endured was losing her second, beloved son, Aaron, in a car accident in 1996.  We like to picture Ute and Aaron being together again now.

 

Ute started having memory issues 5 years ago, and slipped into the nightmare that is Alzheimer’s.  After it was necessary to move into an institution, Don went to see her every day to feed her lunch, hold her hand, and sit with her.  Don knows that she received excellent care at the Life Care Center, but everyone knows that his daily devotion to her was born from a deep love, and from his vow in 1982 to care for her until the day she died.

 

We have all missed Ute’s love, laughter, warm hugs, and joyful personality ever since she was taken too soon by that dreaded disease.  Now we are consoled with knowing she is at peace.

 

Those left behind include: her husband Don, son Rusty (Trish), stepdaughter Donni (Rodney), grandchildren Reina (Eddie), Sieglinde, Josh, Russell, Kaitlyn (Darrell), Jill (Anthony), Raymond, and Nolan (Julia), as well as 9 great-grandchildren.

 

 

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, December 1, 2023 with visitation at 2:00 PM and service at 3:00 PM at Family-Funeral & Cremation, 5627 N. Davis Highway, Pensacola, Florida 32503.

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