Stanley Jay Knapp October 16, 1963 - June 26, 2024

Stanley Jay Knapp passed away peacefully at home with his family on June 26, 2024, after 15 months of battling a glioblastoma brain tumor. Always steadfast in his faith, Stan was remarkably at peace with the path his life was taking. Though he longed to stay on earth with his family, he felt unwavering faith in the joy to come in eternal life. His greatest desire was to submit to His father’s will with complete trust in God’s plan.

Stan was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 16, 1963, the first child of Jay and Phyllis (Hilliard) Knapp. Even as a young child he was curious, intelligent, and loved to learn, traits that directed his entire life. He spent his childhood and teenage years in Payette, Idaho, learning to work hard on the family farm and helping with the family laundry business. Stan was also a great natural athlete. He played tennis and basketball in high school and took part in many intramural sports in college. Some of his favorite activities were teaching and coaching his children in their various athletic endeavors. Stan applied his early work ethic in his professional career and at home, completing much of the building on the family home in Mapleton, spending long hours working in the beautiful yard he created, and doing all he could to provide a good life for his family.

Stan met his future wife, Jill Welton, in a young single adult ward at Brigham Young University in August of 1983, where they got to know each other as gospel doctrine teaching partners in their church ward. They became best friends, sharing about their lives and testimonies, taking classes together, playing sports, and teaching—things they enjoyed together throughout their lives. They were married in the Oakland LDS Temple on December 27, 1985.

Prior to serving in the Bahia Blanca, Argentina mission (1982-84), Stan attended Ricks College and subsequently transferred to Brigham Young University, graduating with BS (1986) and MS (1989) degrees in Family Sciences. He later completed a PhD in Sociology (1995) from Florida State University. He was an associate professor in the BYU Sociology department for twenty-nine years, where he primarily taught upper division theory classes until his diagnosis regrettably compelled him to go on disability in March of 2023.

Stan was a deep and insightful thinker and teacher and loved the opportunity he had to teach and mentor thousands of students, inviting them to think deeply and meaningfully about their experiences and their relationships with others and with God. As much as he loved teaching his regular classes, however, his favorite “classes” were the ones taught one on one with students who sought greater counsel and understanding. He was beloved for compassionately helping students who were struggling in their personal or academic lives.

Stan was a dedicated and loving husband and father who devoted himself to his family’s happiness. He and Jill were blessed with five children and soon to be ten grandchildren. As a father and grandfather, he asked for little and gave everything. He was a protector and partner who desired his companion’s happiness above his own, loving fully and forgiving easily. He was a kind and giving father with a calming spirit that made things better when life felt too chaotic and overwhelming. Stan adored his grandchildren, and they adored him, seeking him first when entering the family home. His characteristic excited greeting made each feel like the most important person in the world. His calm nature easily calmed infants and his silly play made the toddlers laugh. His greatest sadness in leaving life early was that he would miss watching his grandchildren grow.

Stan and Jill loved traveling together and sharing that love with others. Together, they directed five study abroad programs for BYU to Spain and throughout Europe. Stan was a master of logistics and the details needed to create the best possible experiences. Even more, he loved the opportunity to get to know students on a more personal level. He had a special place in his heart for the quiet, the struggling, and the overlooked. Whether in study abroad groups, in classes, or in church callings with youth and young adults, he always noticed those who needed to feel loved and noticed.

Stan was a man of steadfast faith and a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His life was a testament to his dedication to the teachings of his Father in Heaven. He loved serving in the church and served as a counselor in multiple bishoprics and high councils, as well as the high priest group leader of several wards. His favorite calling, however, was teaching. He delighted in studying and teaching the gospel and most days arrived at his office an hour early so that he could start the day reading, pondering and recording the things he learned. He loved to share his insights, always teaching from the text of the scriptures as he taught adults and young adults, youth and children. He had a gift for helping others to develop new insights and to love the scriptures.

Stan is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Jill Knapp; his children, Taylor Knapp (Jackie); Kara Kite (Taylor); Hayley Binks (Sean); Cassie Bowcut (McKay); Landon Knapp (Isabel); and his cherished grandchildren: Bodhi Knapp (4); Livy (6), Kaylin (3) and Jace (4 months) Kite; William (5), Jensen (3) and Madison (1) Binks; and Cohen Bowcut (2). He also leaves behind his mother, Phyllis Knapp, and his siblings Angela (David) Pozernick, Brent (Helena) Knapp, and Duane (Angel) Knapp, as well as many in-law siblings, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. Stanley was preceded in death by his infant granddaughter, Evelyn McKay Bowcut, and his father, Robert Jay Knapp.

Stan died as he had lived, slipping away quietly with faith and without fanfare. To his family, he left the gift of knowing that life is eternal and that all will be okay. His example of faith has us looking to God and feeling an indescribable amount of peace and joy during this time when it would be easy not to. So, despite our family now missing this crucial, beautiful centerpiece that we’ve loved dearly for so long, we still feel him here. He guided us and prepared us to be strong enough to endure this and to hold strong to that iron rod until we meet again.

Stan will be laid to rest on July 6, 2024 in the Provo City Cemetery. The family invites all to join them in remembering his life in a funeral service at 11:00 am at the Mapleton Legacy Building, 1050 N. 300 W., Mapleton Utah. Public viewings will be held in the same building on Friday, July 5th, from 5:30 – 7:30 and prior to the funeral on Saturday from 9:30 – 10:30.