Allan A. Knudson

Dec 23, 1929 – Mar 22, 2025

Allan A. Knudson, MD, was born December 23, 1929, in a small town of Pollock South Dakota, which was named after his great-grandfather R.Y. Pollock. He grew up in a family of 4 boys and 1 girl.

He learned to work hard on the family farm and enjoyed the small-town community, in which he grew up. School, friends, and church were the backbone of his childhood. While in school in Pollock, he came to enjoy learning and sports. He played basketball, football and baseball. Church was a big part of his Pollock life, so much so that the love of the Lord continued throughout his life.

He excelled in his studies in high school and college at South Dakota State. After receiving his degree, he served as a Pharmacist in Japan during the Korean Conflict. Also, he worked as a pharmacist with the Presbyterian Mission Hospital in Ganado, Arizonia with Navajo people. While in Ganado, he was active in the sports program as he played basketball, umpired baseball, and enjoyed being part of the medical mission and getting to know the wonderful people with whom he worked and served. He met his wife Jean while there. It was while there that medical school was his calling. He was accepted to Marquette University Medical School but served as math teacher at the Presbyterian Junior College in Mississippi prior to attending.

In 1958, he started medical school and excelled even while working as a pharmacist on the weekend. During his junior year, he was awarded a scholarship to study anywhere he wished to go. He chose a Presbyterian Medical outreach in Thailand. For two months, he visited hospitals and small towns and saw how medicine was practiced in a different part of the world.

After graduation, he chose to Intern in Phoenix, after which he came to Hanford and worked at Kings County Hospital among wonderful, caring people. He learned so much practical medicine from working in the ER there. He excelled in a Family Medicine physician before Family Medicine existed.

If you were to ask him how he accomplished so much, he would say the Lord lead him all the way. Through all the good times and the sad times of losing his brothers in their 30’s and 40’s.

While in practice in Hanford, he enjoyed helping his patients anyway he could. He enjoyed delivering many babies.

When he was not working, he enjoyed sports, especially basketball, and was active at the First Presbyterian Church in Hanford where he spent several years as an Elder. 

He is survived by his devoted wife of 66 years Jean, sons Bill (Laura) and Paul (Jennifer) and his daughter Sarah.  He is also survived by his grandchildren Talia, Julianna, Daniel, and Ken, as well as his sister Lucille Knudson Bradley.  He was preceded in death by his mother Emma Knudson, father, Oscar Knudson, brothers James, Leslie, and Ken, and daughter Elizabeth. 

A memorial service with be held on Saturday April 26, 2025, at 2 PM at the Hanford First Presbyterian Church (340 North Irwin St, Hanford, CA). In lieu of flowers, donations in Allan's memory can be made to the charity of your choice. 

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