BRUNSWICK — Ralph C. Knowles, Sr., 85, died May 29 at Mid Coast Hospital.
Born in Green, June 24, 1925, the son of Ralph W. C. and Edith Merrill Knowles, he graduated from Edward Little High School.
On Dec. 15, 1960, he married Joyce Newton, and they lived in Greene, where they operated a Guernsey farm and sold flowers for several years.
They purchased Jones Greenhouse in Brunswick in 1968, which they operated as Flowers by Knowles for 30 years. Always creative and artistic, he had an eye for design, while his wife Joyce took care of the books.
As a young artist, he was commissioned to paint “The Ideal Guernsey Cow,” which hangs in the National Headquarters for the American Guernsey Association.
He had many interests, which included breeding champion German Roller canaries, and won national championships.
His hobbies included cooking, entertaining friends, working in his garden, and taking walks and hiking.
His Christian beliefs were lived out in the hospitality he showed to fellow church members, newcomers, Bowdoin students, and the many people he met on his walks.
He is survived by two sons, Temple L. Knowles and his wife, Beth of North Anson, R. Cleveland Knowles and his wife, Tamara of Lisbon Falls, and a daughter, Laurie DeCamilla and her husband Douglas C. of Brunswick; a sister, Muriel Knowles of Brunswick, and a half-brother, Bernard Howe of Greene; and 17 grandchildren.
A visitation for friends and family will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 3, at Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal St., Brunswick.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Berean Baptist Church, 15 Cumberland St., Brunswick.
Memorial contributions may be made to New England Connection for PKU and Allied Disorders, NECPAD, Att: Denice Queally, Treasurer, P.O. Box 3235, Woburn, MA 01801.
Condolences may be expressed and a tribute of his life can be viewed at brackettfuneralhome.com.
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Knowles, Sr.
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