Joyce Knauss

Joyce Knauss, 89 of Carroll, died Saturday, July 25, 2026 at Journey Senior Services in Carroll. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at St. Lawrence Church – St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll. The Celebrant will be Fr. Patrick Behm. Music will be by Kathy Halbur and Sherry Loughran. Lectors will be Nola Becker and Sydney Mulieri. Gift Bearers and Casket Bearers will be Joyce’s family. Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll. A visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll. Additional visitation will be from 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday at the church prior to the Funeral Mass. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Joyce’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com. Born in Omaha, NE, on September 21, 1936, the daughter of Felix and Blanche (Mlnarik) McDonald, Joyce recalled spending her youth riding trolley cars to movie theatres and to Brandeis department store downtown, where her mother was a milliner. Her father worked for the Northwestern railroad. She graduated North High School in 1954, and worked for the Omaha Telephone Company in the Engineering Department. She married Duane Knauss of Council Bluffs, IA, at Holy Name Church in Omaha, on July 26, 1958. They soon moved to Bethany, OK, where her first 3 children were born. The family moved to Reno, NV after a few years, and eventually returned to Iowa, moving to Carroll in 1969, where her last child was born. Joyce and Duane started their business, Best-Chem, in the early 1980s. In the 1980s and 90s, Joyce worked the opening shift at McDonalds in Carroll, oftentimes with Duane close at hand. She volunteered with church organizations, the New Hope Bargain Shoppe, and worked long hours during elections. Joyce was kind and warm-hearted, but would provide a quick sarcastic response if warranted. She liked tending to plants in her yard and home, watching old movies, visiting her sisters in Omaha and traveling with Duane throughout the country to see her family. She loved watching college sports, especially Iowa State and Oklahoma, starting at a young age with her father. She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane Knauss, parents Felix and Blanche McDonald, siblings Donna (Cecil) Albrecht, Kathleen (Beryle) Johnston, Jerry (Linda) McDonald, and Maxine (Jack) Hill. She is survived by four children, 5 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, 3 in-laws, and many nieces, nephews and their children: Steven (Juli) Knauss of Waukee, IA, Mark Knauss of Savannah, GA, Kathleen (Detlef) Becker of Frisco, TX, and Kelly Knauss of Carroll, IA. Her grandchildren are Meaghn (Troy) Vogl, Andrew (Myrr) Knauss, Savannah Knauss, Sydney (Tim) Mulieri, Nola Becker, and great-grandchild Matthew Mulieri. Surviving in-laws are Harold Hibbs of San Antonio, TX, Lavonne Knauss of Carroll, IA, and Beryle Johnston of La Vista, NE.

Joyce Knauss

September 21, 1936 - July 25, 2026