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Barbara Knoebel, driving force behind popular amusement park, dies of cancer at 66
Published: November 30, 2009
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ELYSBURG - One of the driving forces behind the success of a favored summer destination, Knoebels Amusement Resort, has passed away.
Barbara E. Knoebel died of cancer Friday. She was 66.
She was a 1961 graduate of Lykens High School and studied at Polyclinic Hospital to become a licensed practical nurse. In 1968, she married Richard "Dick" Knoebel, and the two worked side-by-side to make Knoebels one of America's most beloved parks.
Barbara served as manager of the park office and as group sales manager, overseeing outings for many groups that visited, and arranging catered meals for thousands of guests each season.
Recently, the couple were awarded "Persons of the Year" at the Golden Ticket Awards, presented annually by the amusement park publication Amusement Today.
As part of an article about the award, the magazine's publisher, Gary Spade, wrote about Barbara's struggle with cancer.
"In the spring of 2008, Barbara was diagnosed with cancer and many tests later was found to have cancerous spots in four other parts of her body. Chemotherapy led to many complications that left her ill, mentally exhausted and completely drained," Spade wrote.
Spade continued, "With Dick by her side every step of the way, Barbara underwent radiation therapy and later a completely different kind of chemotherapy. Through all this, she managed to read the staffing sheets for catering, the schedules for ticket sellers and correspondence with suppliers."
At the awards ceremony in California, the couple received a standing ovation from their contemporaries in the amusement park industry.
In addition to her work at the park, she was a member of Elysburg Presbyterian Church, an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star, where she served as Worthy Matron of the Shamokin Chapter and Grand Adah statewide in 1984-85.
She was active in the Pennsylvania Amusement Parks Association, on the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, along with several of their committees including the original Hall of Fame Committee and served 12 years on the Bloomsburg University Foundation Board of Trustees.
In addition to her husband, she was survived by two sons, Richard A. and Brian L. Knoebel, four granddaughters, a brother, and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their families.
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