Max Knipe died quietly in the early hours on Dec. 14, 2023, at home in Overland Park, Kan. He was born March 3, 1931, in Iowa Park, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents Howard Henry Knipe and Opal Knipe Watson; brothers Lloyd and Bob; and two grandchildren. Remaining relatives are his wife of 49 years Donna Jean Engleman Knipe; son Guy Michael Knipe of Great Bend; daughter Debra Knipe Keil of Broken Arrow, Okla., stepchildren, Randall Lynn Engleman (Sarita) of O’Brien, Fla., Rhonda Engleman of Haymarket, Va., and Dana Engleman (Carol) of Overland Park; 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Max’s main career was in the oilfield as a drill stem tester. He started working for Cecil King and Johnson Testing in 1959. Then transferred to Great Bend in 1966 transitioning with Cecil to build Western Testing. Max was well-known as the best drill stem tester in the region.

Max loved his family and friends and any dog or cat. He was a fixer extraordinaire and tirelessly volunteered for the Great Bend First United Methodist Church, Meals on Wheels, and the Great Bend Masonic Lodge.

Graveside services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, June 8 at Pawnee Rock Cemetery. Memorials are requested to Barton County Historical Society, P. O. Box 1091, Great Bend, KS  67530.

Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, June 1, 2024