Albert Francis Knorp Jr.
July 31, 1935-July 19, 2024
Menlo Park, California
Albert F. Knorp, Jr. passed away peacefully at home on July 19, 2024. Born July 31, 1935 in San Francisco, CA. Al was the son of Albert and Florence Knorp and was raised in San Carlos. Al Sr. started the first baseball league on the Peninsula for youth (4th-8th grade) with the winning team receiving a trophy each year from Lefty O’Doul in Seals Stadium.
After working his way through high school, college (Stanford class of 1957) and law school (Santa Clara, class of 1960) at Libby’s Cannery, Al served in the US Air Force Jag Corp. from 1961-64 and was discharged with the rank of Captain. In 1959 he married his college sweetheart, Sally Pedder Knorp. Together, they raised two children and were just shy of celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. Al had a successful law career and practiced in San Francisco for over 25 years with Shearer, Lanctot, Walsh & Knorp and on the Peninsula with Lewis, Knorp, Walsh and Kavalaris which merged with Gray, Cary, Ware & Freidenrich (now DLA Piper Rudnick) where he was Of Counsel for a number of years. He managed a family partnership, Seaport Ventures LP, and maintained an office from 1994 to 2021 with his long time colleague Angie Birkeland.
Al was a third-generation San Franciscan and the fourth generation to dine at the Tadich Grill, his favorite restaurant where he was well-known by the staff. He was a member of Menlo Country Club, The Commonwealth Club of California, and the Ladera Oaks Swim and Tennis Club, an inactive member of the Stanford Golf Club, and a member of The Merchant’s Exchange Club of San Francisco before its dissolution.
He enjoyed working with disadvantaged youth including pro bono legal work, raising money, and spending time as an instructor. Examples include: representing the San Francisco Boys’ Club with Russel Shearer in a case where the County of Mendocino attempted to tax the Club’s property used as a camp for boys, prevailing at trial, at the appellate court, at the California Supreme Court and successfully blocking a legislative attempt to obviate the decision by testifying before legislative committees in Sacramento; raising money for minority high school students; and teaching chess at the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula.
Al and his family lived in Menlo Park since 1971 where he was a past President of the Sharon Heights Homeowners Association and a Board Member of Ladera Oaks Swim & Tennis Club.
Al will be remembered by all who knew him as a great mentor, partner, advisor and friend. It brought him great pleasure to sit down with a friend or family member over a Hendricks on ice with extra olives to solve problems and offer advice.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sally Pedder Knorp, his son Scott Knorp, Scott’s wife Karin, and their daughters Kelsey, her partner Cody and daughter Marley, Alison Peiler and husband Austin and Whitney and fiancé Dillon Ruddell, his daughter Carol Knorp Donnelly, Carol’s husband Ed, and Carol and Ed’s daughters Natalie and Charlotte, his step-grandson Eddie Donnelly, his step-granddaughter Gina Shoemaker and her husband John and their 5 children.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, 401 Pierce Rd., Menlo Park 94025 or to your favorite charity.
Tags: veteran
