David R. Knapp was born in Evelyth, Minnesota, on June 15, 1929, and died in Bellingham, Washington, February 8, 2026, at the age of 96. He was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, and attended university there.
In 1957, David moved to Alaska to take a counseling position at Wendler Junior High School in Anchorage. He later became an administrator at Anchorage Community College.
David’s love of the state of Alaska grew as he explored southcentral Alaska, piloting his super cub airplane and later exploring the waters of Southeast Alaska, first by sailboat, then in his Nordic Tug.
In 1972 David was transferred to Sitka to become the second full-time campus director of Sitka Community College. In his 10 years in the position he saw the student enrollment grow from 200 to well over 500; course offerings were widely expanded; and distant education grew.
The first college building had been the BIA school, an older building on Katlian Street that later was torn down. David helped oversee construction of a new building off Sawmill Creek Road, where the Alaska Raptor Center is now located. It opened in the fall of 1976.
After retirement in Sitka, David and his wife Marilyn took teaching positions at Yunnan University in southwest China. He was active in programs facilitating exchange students between Sitka and China after his return to the states.
David is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marilyn, of Bellingham; stepdaughters Jill Hanson (Kim) and Joanna Perensovich (Terry), both of Sitka; and daughter-in-law Dana Knapp of Bellingham.
Grandchildren Tristan Hanson and family live in Texas, Brianne Hanson Buijze and family in the Netherlands. Mackenzie Knapp lives in Seattle and Madison Knapp is studying in France.
He was preceded in death by his son David Knapp Jr., who died of cancer in 2024.
A family celebration of David’s life will be held at a later date. Donations in his honor may be made to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp or the Whatcom Hospice Foundation, Bellingham, Washington.
