You may have spotted Rachel Knaus Grafe behind the counter at South Miami-Dade’s popular Knaus Berry Farm, waiting on customers shopping for sugar-sweet red strawberries or fresh green onions. Grafe, who died on Mar. 5, grew up on the farm, riding the strawberry planter and helping the family business with her sister, Susan. “They made jelly with their mom and were involved in the bakery,” says Tom Blocher, Susan’s husband.
Born in Lawrence, Kansas, Rachel and her family moved to South Florida in 1956. Her father and his brother began raising strawberries at the small roadside stand. As the farm grew into a bustling farmstand, bakery, milkshake stand and u-pick, Rachel and other family members divided up the operational tasks: Rachel handled payroll and bills; Susan, the shake stand; Tom, the bakery; and her husband, Herbie Grafe, the produce department. Interestingly, Rachel didn’t eat strawberries, Tom says – she just didn’t like them.
Known for being a hard worker, Rachel was a generous person quick to help those in need, says Tom. She was also deeply dedicated to caring for her parents, in-laws and her children. When her son had an accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury, “she devoted her last 26 years to doing the best she could,” says Tom. In comments at her memorial service, he noted, “Rachel was quick to forgive and not hold a grudge. I encourage you to be just like Rachel, be quick to forgive and not grudge!”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Brain Injury Association of America.
