The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced that retired Chief Deputy William O. Knowles, Jr., passed away on Saturday. Knowles lost his battle to cancer, after a long and courageous fight.
Knowles joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1981 and retired after 23 years of service.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 13, at 10:00 a.m., immediately followed by the internment:
Location:
First Baptist Church – Henry Chapel
9000 John Young Parkway
Orlando, FL
Internment:
Woodlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home
400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road
Gotha, FL
Knowles was an Army veteran and served in the Military Police in Korea. He started his law enforcement career with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and then moved on to the State Attorney’s Office in Hillsborough County as well as the Duval County State Attorney’s Office.
William Knowles also served with Polk County Sheriff’s Office and then joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 1981. By 2005 he had risen to the rank of Chief Deputy for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He retired having served 42 years in law enforcement.
