Jon Gary Knehans

Jon G. Knehans passed away on April 1, 2023 at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was born May 4, 1940 at St. James, MO, to Edmund and Monica Knehans. He is survived by one brother, Dr. William Knehans, his wife, Deborah Knehans and his former, wife, Jeanne Graves. While he had no children he is survived by four step daughters, Lisa Amador, Lori Earheart, Shannon Nelson, and Emily Nelson, along with seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother.
He grew up and graduated high school in Owensville, MO., was a skilled basketball player and was selected to the All Conference, All District and State teams. He earned a scholarship to and graduated Missouri Valley College where he lettered all four years and in 1962 was named to the first team of the Missouri Collegiate Athletic Conference all star basketball team, after having been his team's leading scorer and rebounder.
He also earned a bachelor in science degree from the University of Utah, a master's degree form the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctorate Degree from the California Southern Law School in 1977 and then sat for the California Bar Exam, and was admitted to Practice Law that year.
He enlisted in the USAF in 1962 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He resigned his commission as a Captain after 6 years. He spend his last two plus years as a Reconnaissance Officer with the 56th Weather Recon Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, with service throughout Southeast Asia.
In 1971, Jon became a Special Agent of the FBI and served in Everett, WA, Riverside. CA and Tulsa, Ok, retiring in 1993. After retiring he worked as a self-employed private investigator and a contract background investigator. Most recently he volunteered with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Task Force. Throughout his FBI career and in particularly at Riverside, CA his work was primarily what was then referred to as reactive investigations, meaning bank robberies, fugitives and other traditionally criminal matters. He has estimated that during the last 15 years at Riverside he investigated at least 600 robberies and in doing so fostered a good and respectful with more than 20 city and county law enforcement agencies and many officers. His investigation directly led to the location and arrest of FBI Top Ten Fugitive Claude Dallas who was then wanted for escaping from an Idaho State Prison where he had been confined after conviction for the murders of two Idaho State Law Enforcement Officers.
He was a Third degree Mason, a member of the Tulsa Scottish Rite, Bedouin Shrine and Royal Order of Jesters. He raised and tried to train quarter horses for more than 20 years at Haskell, OK and multiple times each year would travel to and camp in New Mexico and Colorado to horseback ride. He is a member of the Okie-Arkie trail Ride since 1994 and was an elected board member for 10 years.

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