Tim Knoll, 51, was dedicated to family, biking and jug bands

Mr.Knoll

By Hawke Fracassa / The Detroit News

    FARMINGTON -- If it was offbeat, Tim Knoll enjoyed doing it.
   He bicycled across Europe, managed a llama ranch and goat dairy and performed with jug bands, including one from Detroit that was good enough to make a CD.
   "He led an interesting life but in the end it was all about family for him," said Maureen Krasner, a sister.
   Mr. Knoll, a long-time resident of Detroit and Manistee, was killed in a car crash in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, May 31, 2001. He was 51.
   A memorial mass for Mr. Knoll will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 23815 Power, Farmington.
   At the time of his death, Mr. Knoll had been living in Georgia for four years and was working for a local grocer.
   Mr. Knoll graduated from Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods in 1968 and studied history at what is now the University of Detroit Mercy.
   In Detroit, he was a member of the Don't Look Now Jug Band and The Motor City Free Arts Group. Mr. Knoll managed the Cass Corridor Food Co-op, a goat dairy and llama ranch in Manistee and was an employee of the Detroit Zoo for many years.
   He performed with jug bands for more than three decades, most notably with the Wormwood Junction Majority Jug Band, the Tough City Kids Jug Band and Honest Dr. John's Organic Shiffle Band.
   Mr. Knoll often took weekend trips from Georgia to Detroit to play with the Don't Look Now Jug Band, which recorded its first CD in March.
   "He was a typical '60s, peace-loving hippie," Krasner said. "But his favorite pastime was spinning tales for Corinna," his 5-year-old daughter.
   When Mr. Knoll learned his daughter Corinna was autistic, he "got every book out of the library and devoted himself to working with her and helping her," Krasner said.
   That included becoming a member of the board of directors of the Autism Society of America in Georgia.

You can reach Hawke Fracassa at (313) 222-2320 or hfracassa@detnews.com.