Dorothy Cleo Knapp, 88, of Muskogee passed away Friday, April 25, 2008 at Eastgate Village. She was born on October 22, 1919, in Pottawattamie County, Oklahoma to Ira Benjamin & Rhoda (Bivens) Rose.

Cleo graduated from Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City in 1937 and began a career as a telephone operator with Southwestern Bell Telephone. She met Bill Knapp in 1937 and was married December 23, 1939 in Oklahoma City, OK. In 1961 they moved the family to a ranch at Warner OK, where they began a new career of raising cattle and hay. Along with helping run the ranch, Cleo was a member of Muskogee County Extension Homemakers where she served as county president for several years. She was also a county 4-H leader, and helped with many 4-H projects. She was very active in the 3rd Armored Division Association for many, many years. She loved spending time with her family and going to the horse races. In her spare time she enjoyed watching her grandkids in sporting events, including attending various golf tournaments and livestock shows. Her real passion was chopping weeds on the place and enjoying the outdoors.

Cleo was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Bill Knapp , her brother, Marion B. Rose and her sisters, Clara B. Perdue and Vera Rose.

She is survived by her children: Bill Leroy Knapp of Grand Island, FL; Sharon Kaye Moore & husband, Jack of Southlake, TX, and Donna Sue Pendley & husband, Bill of Muskogee OK; her grandchildren, Bill Alan Knapp, Michael Leon Knapp, Shelly Renea Lively, Jack Andrew Moore, Jeffrey Alan Moore, Jace Adam Moore, Michael Jon Scott, Joel Benjamin Scott, Kyle Jordan Pendley and Jarrod Wade Pendley, and numerous great grandchildren. She is also survived by her adopted family members, Aileen Moore and Cheryl Reece of Muskogee. Also surviving Cleo are her two long time friends, Lois Fleming of San Diego, CA, and Estelle Brown, of Tyler, Texas.

A celebration of the life of Cleo Knapp will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at the Southeast Baptist Church in Muskogee with Reverend Monty Baggett officiating. She will join her husband at the National Cemetery in Fort Gibson with her grandsons serving as pallbearers. Special thanks is given to Hometown Hospice and Eastgate Village for the fine care given and to caregiver Brenda Dodson for the friendship extended in Cleo's last year . The family has entrusted Bradley Family Funeral Service of Muskogee with the arrangements.

Friends may send condolences to the family on the web page www.bradleyfuneralservice.com.