VINTON: Kathryn Ann Rammelsberg Knaack passed away on August 1, 2026, in Austin, Texas

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, August 15, 2026 at the Phillips Funeral Home Chapel (212 E. 6th Street) in Vinton. Interment will be held at Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4:00 until 7:00 PM, Friday, also at the funeral home.

Born June 1, 1931, on her parents’ farm in Newhall, Iowa, she was the fourth of ten children of Cecil and Esther Rammelsberg. After graduating from Newhall High School in 1949, she trained as a Northwestern Bell telephone operator in Iowa City and worked as an operator in Vinton, Iowa, until 1973. She later returned to Northwestern Bell at its Waterloo office in 1976 and retired in 1982, completing 30 years of service. Kathryn was deeply proud of her association with Ma Bell and cherished the many friends she made there.

Kathryn married Keith Otto Knaack on September 3, 1949, at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa. They shared 42 years together until Keith's death in 1992. On June 12, 1961, they welcomed their daughter, Karolyn Ann Knaack.

Kathryn built a rich family life alongside Keith and his business ventures: two newspapers, Hawkeye Racing News and Collectors Journal, and an auto racing sanctioning body, the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA). She was far more than a bystander to these ventures. After retiring from Northwestern Bell, she wrote a weekly column for Collectors Journal, a pursuit she took great pride in and one that showcased her sharp eye and warm voice. Many will wonder about the IMCA modified race car engraved on the gravestone Kathryn shares with Keith at Evergreen Cemetery in Vinton, Iowa. It honors the IMCA modified racing that Keith was instrumental in bringing to Vinton in 1979, and the life she and Keith devoted to racing. Karolyn fondly remembers the years when Keith served as team manager for Helen Rae Racing, which sponsored drivers Dave Marcis and Phil Barkdoll in the 1980s and early 1990s. The family attended many NASCAR events, including almost every Winston Cup venue and the annual banquets in New York City and Nashville.

Kathryn was a gifted seamstress and artist whose hands were rarely idle. She delighted in crocheting, sewing, drawing, and painting, and she also loved filling her coloring books, bringing the same patience and care to every project she undertook. Her needlework in particular reflected a lifetime of devotion to her craft, and she loved sharing her handmade creations with family and friends. Even in her 80s, her artistry remained undimmed: she submitted her crocheted pieces to the Benton County Fair in Vinton, Iowa, and proudly won blue ribbons!

Kathryn was a passionate and knowledgeable collector, most notably of Barbie dolls, and her collection grew to become a source of great joy and pride. She loved welcoming friends and family into her Vinton home to admire her dolls, and she was always eager to share the stories behind them. Her enthusiasm carried her far beyond Iowa: she traveled widely to attend Barbie conventions across the United States and even one in Europe, forging friendships with fellow collectors along the way.

At the time of her death, Kathryn was living in Austin, Texas, at the Parsons House assisted living community, to be near her daughter and her grandson, Sterling. An active and devoted grandmother from the day Sterling was born, she treasured every moment they shared. Whether celebrating holidays together, or simply enjoying each other’s company, the two shared a bond that both held dear, and Sterling holds fond and enduring memories of his Grandma Kathryn.

Kathryn is survived by her daughter, Karolyn Ann Knaack, and her grandson, Sterling Knaack Steves, both of Hutto, Texas; her sisters, Fern Bauman of Eugene, Oregon, Roxy Roster of Vinton, Iowa, and Darlene Lawler of LaGrange, Illinois; her brothers, Dale (Caryl) Rammelsberg of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Glen (Billie) Rammelsberg of Blairstown, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Keith; her parents, Cecil and Esther Rammelsberg; her sisters, Beulah Moloney, Mildred Rammelsberg, and Esther Mae Johnson; and her brother, Cecil Faye Rammelsberg.

Karolyn and Sterling wish to thank the staff at Parsons House in Austin, Texas, where Kathryn often said she felt at home, and the hospice staff at Kindful Health, who cared for her in her final days. Fittingly, the name “Waterloo” bookended Kathryn’s life, from her telephone career in Waterloo, Iowa, to her final home in Austin, in an area originally known as “Waterloo.”

She will be remembered for her creativity, her generosity, and the warmth she brought to everyone fortunate enough to know her. Her artistry, her collections, and above all her devotion to her family leave a legacy that those who loved her will carry forward.