Lt. Col. Richard L. Knapp, Jr.

Lt Col (Retired) Richard L. Knapp, Jr., 70, passed away on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at the Jackson County Memorial Hospital. Funeral services with military honors are scheduled for 10:00 AM Monday, January 25, 2016 at the Kincannon Memorial Chapel with Marvin Savory officiating. Burial will follow at Ft. Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, under the direction of the Kincannon Funeral Home.
Richard L. Knapp, Jr. was born on July 16, 1945 to Richard L., Sr. and Mary Elizabeth (Huddleston) Knapp in Konawa, Oklahoma. He graduated from Ardmore High School in 1963. After high school, he attended the University of Oklahoma, graduating in 1967 and initially pursued a business career. Richard married Freda L. Tanner in Madill, Oklahoma on June 10, 1966. He attended Officer's Training School at Lackland AFB, Texas in May 1971 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on July 30, 1971. Richard was assigned to Columbus AFB, Mississippi for Undergraduate Pilot Training and was awarded his wings in August of 1972. After initial qualification training at the Combat Crew Training School, Castle AFB, CA, he was assigned to the 70th Air Refueling Squadron at Grissom AFB, Indiana, as a KC-135 pilot.
Lt. Col. Knapp completed a Bullet Shot tour at Kadena AB, Okinawa, and a Young Tiger tour at Utapao Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, before upgrading to aircraft commander as a 1st lieutenant in March 1975. Lt. Col. Knapp was one of the few wing pilots to be simultaneously qualified in the EC-135 E/G, KC-135Q, KC-135L and both the standard and air refuelable KC-135A. He completed Squadron Officer School in residence, graduating in the top third of his class, and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Ball State University before being selected as a wing standardization evaluation instructor aircraft commander.
In 1980, Lt. Col. Knapp was assigned to the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Castle AFB, California, as a Combat Crew Training School (CCTS) instructor pilot. Lt. Col. Knapp was instrumental in integrating the KC-135 weapon system trainer and the KC-135R model aircraft into the CCTS training program. He completed his tour at Castle serving as the KC-135 Simulator Development and Training Manager.
Lt. Col. Knapp was assigned to the 11th Air Refueling Squadron, Altus AFB, Oklahoma, in October 1988 and was quickly reassigned as the wing's first tactics division chief a few months later. He was then selected as the 11th Air Refueling Squadron Operations Officer and was in the lead unit to deploy to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield, where he assumed command of the 1703rd Provisional Air Refueling Squadron. After returning from the desert, Lt. Col. Knapp served as the 340th Operations Support Squadron Commander and the task group commander for a counter-drug operation in Central/South America. He retired on January 1, 1988 as a Lieutenant Colonel and received many decorations including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal.
Richard enjoyed working on computers, fishing and cars, especially Corvettes. He was an avid OU football fan and loved spending time with his kids and grandkids, who loving referred to him as "Papa." He was a member of the Ardmore Church of Christ.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Richard is survived by his wife, Freda, of the home; two daughters, Raquel Berlanga of Altus, OK and Felicia Knapp of Dallas, TX; five grandchildren, Matthew Berlanga, Marie Ledesma, Marissa Berlanga, Marcus Flores and Liam Corbray; one great granddaughter, Sarah Ledesma; and one sister, Cheryl Beth Levite, of Mobile, AL.
Family will receive friends at the Kincannon Funeral Home from 4:00 - 5:00 PM, Sunday, January 24, 2016.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1320 NW Homestead Dr., Lawton, OK 73505.
Additional parking for the service is available behind the funeral home, Days Inn to the South or Western Sizzlin’ to the North.
Family and friends unable to attend may log on to kincannonfuneralhome.com 30 minutes prior to the service, click on the “Obituaries” then "Photos & Videos" to view the live webcast of the funeral.