Michael Gerard Knott went away on the 12th of March, 2024, which was Sunday. His parents, Robert and Viola Knott, welcomed their third son, Michael, into the world on December 16th, 1953 in Tracy, Minnesota. Michael was the third of their four sons.
The Zion Lutheran Church in Tracy was the location where he was baptized and confirmed in his beliefs. His high school graduation was in 1972, and he participated in a variety of extracurricular activities during his adolescence, including 4-H, FFA, Lutheran adolescence Society, sports, choir, and band. He took great pleasure in getting together with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, as well as other relatives.
Michael received a degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota in Crookston, where he studied for seven years. Upon his return, he established a business partnership with his father and brother on the farm that belonged to the family in Tracy. On November 15, 1975, he wed his first wife, Jean Olson, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. That same year, he was blessed with the birth of two children: Catherine, who is now 78 years old, and Matthew, who is 81 years old. On July 31, 2004, he wed Julia Schmidt, who would become his second wife, in Corvallis, Montana. He remained devoted to her until the day he passed away. When Michael was a young adult, he went on two trips with his pals from high school.
These adventures sparked his passion for the mountains and the great outdoors. The first journey was a canoe portaging camping excursion in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, while the second expedition was a trip to the Rocky Mountains in the western United States of America. Montana was always a great hold on where he found his calm, and his passion for the mountains led his route in life.
He felt a profound connection to the mountains. His family moved to Montana, first to White Sulphur Springs, then to Bozeman, then to Corvallis, and eventually to Stevensville, Montana, where he worked as a sawyer, youth coach, hunting guide, owner of an outfitters guide school, and ranch hand at Bitterroot Spring ranch for a total of eighteen years.
The allure of the west led his family to Montana. Following his completion of the Elm Outfitters and Guides Training Program, he moved on to become a guide for White Cloud Outfitters, which is located in Challis as well as Idaho. After spending eleven years in his element guiding hunters in Idaho, he eventually became the owner and director of Elm Outfitters and Guides Training Program.
The process of assisting students in locating hunting guide employment across the Rockies was something that he enjoyed doing. It was a common saying of his that “if you do what you love, you will never have to work a day in your life.” Michael was a very generous person, particularly within his church. He served as an elder to the congregation on the council of the Living Savior Church, he loved his church family, and he planned and organized retreats in the natural environment.
At the beginning of the 21st of January, 2024, Michael climbed into the saddle and started his last voyage. Later that day, he lowered his reins to the ground, walked out of the stirrups, and entered the arms of his savior.
Michael is survived by his wife Julia, who resides in Stevensville, Montana; his daughter Catherine Talks, who resides in Waconia, Minnesota; his son Matthew and grandson Callan, who are in Salmon, Idaho; his brothers Steven (and his wife JoAnne) of Tracy, Minnesota; Charles (and his wife Paula) of Howard Lake, Minnesota; and David (and his wife Kristen) that reside in Tracy, Minnesota. Michael’s mother Viola, his father Robert, his grandparents Earl and Ruth Knott and John and Elma Johnson, as well as his aunts, uncles, and cousins all passed away before him.
