Janie served as vice president of Knopf Construction Inc.
and then launched her own interior design business.
Serving the Community
Roger was invited to join the Rotary Club in the early days of
the Morgan Hill Chapter.
“That was in 1976 and I became the 27 th member.”
Roger said. “It was a great group of people then and it still
is today.”
Roger’s early community service also included volunteer-
ing on county planning committees, on an advisory commit-
tee for the water district, and on a personnel committee for
the Morgan Hill Unified School District.
While Roger was involved with Rotary, Janie lent a hand
at several school-related groups like the Home & School
Club and booster clubs for her kids’ school sports teams. She
was a past president of Children’s Home Society, past Vice
President of the Centennial Morgan Hill Committee, and
a past Board Member and volunteer with the Morgan Hill
Historical Society. Her path to Rotary membership was a bit
different than Roger’s.
“It wasn’t until 1988 that Rotary invited women to join
their ranks,” Janie said. “I’d been volunteering with the
club for a number of years when they surprised me with an
honorary membership. Then they cajoled me into becoming
a full-fledged member, which I did in 1992.”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
As part of their involvement with Rotary, the Knopfs
hosted a young woman exchange student from South Africa,
and a young man from Puerto Rico (as an independent
student) who went on to play professional baseball. Roger and
Janie remain in touch with them to this day. The Knopfs are
both proud to be Paul Harris Fellows of Rotary International.
Roger and Janie devoted more than a decade of service
to the annual Mushroom Mardi Gras, modeling the event’s
Bon Appétit Square after the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s popular
Gourmet Alley. Both have played an important role in the
Morgan Hill Community Foundation and have been active
volunteers with the Morgan Hill Historical Society.
The Home that Roger and Janie Built
The Knopfs designed and built their Morgan Hill home on
two and a half acres along Llagas Creek. Their property nestles
among lofty sycamores and oaks in a quiet and private creek-
side setting.
The 3600 square-foot California contemporary ranch
home has an open floor plan that maximizes natural light and
outdoor views. Cathedral ceilings, redwood-paneled walls,
spacious windows, cozy fireplaces and ceramic floors frame the
interior spaces with a timeless quality. It’s a home designed for
both comfortable everyday living and for entertaining.
“Members from my side of the family often celebrate
Christmas here with us,” Janie said. “But R oger’s father came
MARCH/APRIL 2016
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