BATON ROUGE — At 102-years-old, most people may be relaxing and allowing others to take care of them, but not WWII Veteran Willie Knippers. While he does live in an assisted living facility, he still goes about his day as the average person.
Knippers was born on June 15, 1923, in Magnolia, Mississippi, according to his Niece Sherri Dykes. Knippers grew up on a farm with his parents, three brothers, and three sisters. He graduated from Progress High school in 1942 and then joined the U.S. Army in January of 1943.
During his time in the military, Knippers worked in ground combat, and as a medic in WWII in the south Pacific.
“He helped to stabilize soldiers who were injured so they could be transported to the hospital,” Dykes told UWK. “He was at Iwo Jima when the flag was raised. He was at the bottom and the flag was at the top.”
Following his departure from the military in 1946, Knippers moved to Baton Rouge and started working for Tom’s Distributor.
“He worked for Tom’s. They did vending machines and he was in sales,” Dykes explained.
While Knippers loved his family and stayed involved with his siblings, he never got married or had children of his own.
And at 80-years-old, when most have already indulged in retirement, Knippers began a new job, Enterprise Rent a Car. In 2013, Knippers finally retired at the age of 91. He continued to live alone and do for himself until he was 99 and then moved to The Claiborne assisted living.
“He basically takes care of himself. He gets up in the morning and makes his coffee, dresses himself, and he’s 102. He’s just an amazing guy,” Dykes told UWK.
Knippers’ incredible work ethic however is not the last great thing about him. Dykes tells UWK that her uncle has a long list of hobbies as well.
“He bowled in a league in Baton Rouge for probably about 50 years. He loved hunting and gardening. He could grow anything.”
On June 15, the veteran will celebrate turning 102-years-old. The Claiborne at Shoe Creek assisted living community will be hosting a “Birthday Bash” to celebrate and are inviting veterans, and state, city, or local dignitaries to join them. The event will be held on Friday, June 13, at 1:30 p.m.
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