William 'Bill" Kniffen

William (Bill) Kniffen, 88, passed away peacefully with family by his side on January 17, 2023. Bill was a wonderful man who was dearly loved by family and friends. He had a way about him that left people saying, "Hes such a nice guy!", and we cant think of a better legacy. He was a proud veteran of the Korean War, and he really enjoyed participating in the annual Veterans Day celebration events at his grandkids schools in Blue Bell, PA. He enjoyed a very long life and was predeceased by his parents, Anna and Leonard, siblings, Dorothy Stone (Duane), Noreen Bowman & Robert Kniffen, as well as many close friends, and he would want to make special mention of his daughter, Becky, who passed in 2013. Bill is survived by his wife, Maureen, his children Terri (John), Bobbie (Dave) and Tony (Claudine Paccio). He has 7 grandchildren that he cherished: Jack (Kendall) & Kelley (Terri), Levi (Julie) & Will (Becky) and Kaili, Kade & Ty (Tony), and 1 great grandchild, Penelope (Levi). He is also survived by his brother, Gordie Kniffen (Kate) and sister-in-law, Marion (Robert), as well as many nieces and nephews. He was a dedicated family man who liked spending time near home and enjoying warm sunny days. He was a graduate of Binghamton North HS and worked at IBM for over 25 years before his retirement in his late 50s. He spent decades supporting youth baseball in Newark Valley as a coach, commissioner and cheering father. His retirement was spent enjoying family, friends, golfing and sitting on his porch listening to his ancient radio and watching the world go by. Bill was known to pick an activity and get a bit carried away. This was never more evident than when he took up running in his early 50s and quickly began running nearly 100 miles per week, and one day, like Forrest Gump, he just decided to stop after logging well over 40,000 miles! When asked by someone why he ran so much, Bill said with a smile, "I run to eat". His most famous meal in his running days was the time that he was watching sports and he casually ate 6 stuffed pork chops with sides, and then decided to polish it off with an apple pie and a half gallon of ice cream. :-) He was a spiritual man but didnt regularly attend church. However, he lived directly across the street from the Catholic church and would spend sunny Sunday mornings reading the newspaper and listening to mass through the open doors. The priest once commented that he always knew when he had delivered a good sermon because those were the weeks that Bill would put down his paper and listen. Bill was a wonderful husband, father, and friend, and he will be dearly missed. We love you Bill! His family will receive friends on Saturday, Jan 21, from 2-3:30 at the MacPherson Funeral Home, Newark Valley. A Memorial Blessing will follow at 3:30 with Rev. Jim Dutko officiating. On-line messages may be written in his guest book at macphersonfh.com Visitation MacPherson Funeral Home Saturday, January 21, 2023 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM 5 Whig St Newark Valley, NY 13811 Directions Memorial Service MacPherson Funeral Home Saturday, January 21, 2023 3:30 PM 5 Whig St Newark Valley, NY 13811 Directions