When Lynn was about 7 years old, he dropped a pop bottle and a piece of glass flew up and put a deep gash very near the upper part of his right eye. It caused some damage but he still had vision and a nice scar to remind him all of his life of that incident. Lynn always has had a spontaneous sense of humor and fun to be around. He was sensitive and could cry with you! He was personable and caring! Everyone who met him, loved him! When he was young all the kids wanted to be around him at church and school. He would draw people like a magnet! Even now, he can still work his charm.
He was 8 when we moved to California! He was always interested in sports and dreamed of becoming a football player. Throughout his school years he was quick witted and athletic. Lynn not only had red hair and blue eyes but he had freckles. He was movie star material but he only wanted to play football. He was good and his team mates like him, even those on the opposing team.
When he was discharged from the Air Force his physical showed him with an enlarged heart. In 1967, at the age of 28, Lynn began to experience health issues. He had a tumor behind his heart! When they went to take a biopsy the tumor began to push it's way thru the small incision. A nurse applied pressure to the incision for over 30 minutes while the Doctor's and nurses prepared for open heart surgery. When they got in there, they discovered it was inoperable. It looked like a mass of bubble gum surrounding his heart and lungs. While thanking the surgeon afterwards, we were told by the surgeon to thank the nurse who applied the pressure to the incision, because that is what saved him that day. Lynn had Hodgkin's Disease! This is cancer of the lymph nodes but I never understood what the large tumor was all about and even though they removed a portion of his right lung, his recovery was questionable.
Through the days following, his body had built up approximately 2 quarts of liquid around his heart which needed to be removed immediately. I was at the hospital, along with our pastor and Lynn's wife. We sat in the waiting room, pacing and praying because Lynn's life was solely dependent upon God. It wasn't long when the Doctors had rolled Lynn away, that they came back and said his body had absorbed the liquid. The Doctor had no explanation for this and so Lynn's journey continued with a strong resolve; God was not finished with him yet!
Lynn underwent cobalt treatments everyday for quite a few weeks to shrink the tumor. He would go in early each morning, be sick the rest of the morning and then go to work. He was very sick and yet so strong! Lynn learned that he was to take one day at a time. Some years later the Doctors thought the cancer had returned and did more cobalt. Turns out it was scar tissue and the extra treatment was not a good thing. Lynn continued to grow in the Lord; along with his wife Kathleen and he remained cancer free for many, many years.
As a Military Reservist Lynn joined the oregon Army National Guard. He sang in the Gospel Hymns Quartet, owned a Bible Book Store and was even a Janitor at the Armory. During these years, Lynn became more and more interested in the Guard! He went to El Paso, Texas for leadership training. Upon completion, Lynn became the State Command Sergeant Major of the Army National Guard for the state of Oregon. This is the highest noncommissioned position in the Guard. He served in this capacity for 10 years, even though it usually was held for 5. At Lynn's retirement his ability and character were recognized by many top notch officials and others who had known him. Lynn's journey led him in different paths but all kept him on the road to Glory, where God lives.
The cobalt and subsequent treatment caused the flaps with the heart valve to thicken, Sun and fair skin has caused his head and face to pay the price with various skin cancers and subsequent surgeries. The last one, near his left eye, was deep and considered a 4. Many months following, he began to have pain near his left eye. A Cat Scan showed he had more squamous cells and a tumor. Some would say Lynn had been living on borrowed time since 1967.
The truth is, Lynn's years were a gift from God! It was not borrowed because he owned them! Time is relative! God gave him time to affect many lives such as family, friends the guardsmen and their officers. During this last bout with radiation and chemo, Lynn suffered Spetic Shock. Coming so close to death again, it was evident that his life was still resting in God's hands. "May the hope of God fill you with joy and peace believing that hope abounds through the Holy Spirit within us." Romans 15:13
These past few years Lynn's brush with death, was just the shadow that has followed him all the days of his life; ever since he began this journey. We can only praise God for the work He has done in Lynn's life and for all of us who have been around to reap the benefits. God doesn't look at how much we do, but with how much love we do it.
Lynn experienced a gall bladder attack. Because of his heart condition, the Anesthetist said his heart could not handle the surgery. The Doctor's agreed and said any more surgeries were questionable. However they did one more; thinking they could repair his heart. Again, it was inoperable!
Lynn has experienced miracle after miracle throughout his life. However, the greatest miracle of all is to be used of God in ones life's journey. Watching Lynn through his walk has been a journey for all of us. The trust he has shown in his Savior has been worth our journey. The rest of his story climaxed early last Sunday morning. He arrived into Glory whole; at peace and full of joy, experiencing the reunion with the Father and all his loved ones that arrived earlier. I would like to say that God is not finished with Lynn here and perhaps his witness will last for the many years we have left of our lives. However, the blessing is that we knew him; he gave us pleasure and we will miss him terribly.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15 I believe that God is; I believe that His word is truth; I believe that when we put our trust in Him we have achieved the peace that passes all understanding. It has been said; "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." We praise God for what He did in Lynn's life and praise Him for what He is going to continue to do in Kathleen's life and all those he touched. How about you? Do you know where you are headed? I pray you too are on the road to Glory! By Jane Ann Crenshaw started 6/3/08, updated 9/16/09 and completed 5/18/10
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Thanks so much Jane Ann. I loved reading the "rest of the story" about Lynn's earlier life and health challenges for some years. All you said about here were true--not just a sweet sister's sentiments. He was a very sweet, kind, generous and fun to be around person. He never seemed uptight or worried--just kept on keeping on. He wasn't eager to talk about himself but let you talk about yourself. I enjoyed chatting with him at the book store. He was a pleasure to know. I cherish the memory of Lynn and the whole Knauss family.
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