Knowlan family keeps son's memory, mission alive with Filter's Fund

On Oct. 11, 2012, Jackson native Maj. Garrett Knowlan died in an Air Force training exercise in Pensacola, Florida. At the time of this tragic accident, his father and local attorney Jack Knowlan told the Southeast Missourian the family was focused on how Garrett's life could inspire others.

The family continues this mission today through Filter's Fund-The Garrett Knowlan Foundation. The name -- Filter, Garrett's call sign -- is a nod to Knowlan's straight forward personality, his mother Bonnie Knowlan told me in an interview this week.

"You knew exactly where you stood with Garrett. They [his Air Force friends] teased him that he didn't have a filter. That was pretty accurate; very accurate," she said with a smile.

Major Garrett Knowlan appears in this undated photo with his sons, Beckett Jack, top, and Levi Asher.Submitted photo

The idea for a foundation came in 2013 when a friend suggested doing a virtual run/walk so Garrett's Air Force friends could participate regardless of where they were stationed. Not only did about 150 people show up in Jackson for the local walk, but about 400 participated worldwide, she said, noting participants wore the fundraiser's T-shirt and took a photo from wherever they participated.

In lieu of the run, last year's fundraiser was a party held at Knowlan Family Farm. "Garrett loved a good party," Bonnie said. "We can have a good party with family fun out at the farm, and that's what he would have loved."

The foundation has raised north of $40,000 since its inception with the majority of the funds donated to Compassion International, a Christian charity that Garrett and his wife Meg supported. Funds to Compassion International, Bonnie said, have been used to purchase water filtration systems in remote villages, feed hungry children and provide a sustainable food source for families through the purchase of goats, chickens and garden seeds.

But the organization has also supported local needs, including scholarships at Jackson High School and assisting local families with specific needs. The most recent example was a wheelchair the foundation helped purchase for a child in Jackson with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

"We did that all in Garrett's name because he was that kind of person," Bonnie told me. "He would help anybody. He would go to any lengths to help people. He was just a great kid, a great young man."

The Southeast Missourian is in the middle of a series about grief. Bonnie, who facilitates a class at Cape County Cowboy Church called GriefShare, said the work with the foundation has helped the family cope with the loss.

"It helps us a lot. I don't think at the time I thought, 'Well, this is going to help me get through the grief.' Some people in their grief do things like that to keep that person's name alive. That wasn't our intent. It does keep his name alive, but that's not the important thing in this. The [important thing] was his mission."

In December, the family visited Hurlburt Field, a U.S. Air Force base located in Okaloosa County, Florida. Garrett's sons, Beckett and Levi Knowlan, had the opportunity to visit the auditorium named in their father's memory along with a painting of Garrett by Gen. David Harris.

Beckett and Levi Knowlan pose for a photo with a painting of their father Garrett Knowlan by Gen. David Harris.Submitted

Bonnie credits her Christian faith for getting the family through such a devastating loss. "I would have not made it had it not been my faith, and Jack, too. All of our family," she said, giving special mention to her pastor Jim Matthews at Cowboy Church. And she's seen God's work in the family's lives along the way,

"I always tell people you better buckle up, because God's got something great for you. You just have to be open to it."

Bonnie Knowlan and her family are certainly an inspiration. Their faith, commitment and love for others have kept Garrett's memory alive, but, more importantly, continued his mission to serve God and help others.

You can learn more about the foundation online at facebook.com/FiltersFund. Those interested in supporting the foundation or suggesting a local need to support can call (573) 243-7777 or email bonnieknowlan@gmail.com.

Lucas Presson is assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian.