Coldwater woman lived in Armstrong's former home

COLDWATER - Jackie Knapke was 14 when her parents moved from Piqua and bought Neil Armstrong's childhood home in Wapakoneta.

Armstrong's family roots were in Wapakoneta, although the family moved several times throughout the years due to his father Stephen Armstrong's job as an auditor for the state. Eventually the family settled back in Wapakoneta in 1944, when the future astronaut was 13, at 601 West Benton St., now an Ohio historical marker.

The Armstrongs sold the home to Knapke's family in 1964. Knapke, whose maiden name is Miller, had admired the oldest Armstrong son before he ever left the stratosphere, as he was a combat and test pilot for the Navy at the time.

"For me, he was a hero back in the 1960s because he fought in the Korean War," Knapke said.

Knapke described the home as a big, beautiful two-story home with tall pillars outside and a porch with a swing, perfect for lazy afternoons.

Outside the home were a wide variety of fruit trees beloved by Armstrong's mom, Viola. Knapke and her mother believed the trees still belonged to "Mrs. Armstrong," as Knapke knew her growing up, and was tasked with delivering the ripened fruit to their new home.     Knapke said Viola Armstrong occasionally would return the favor by dropping off varieties of sweet fruit pies. Knapke built a friendship with Viola Armstrong throughout the years as they continued to exchange fruit and sweets.

During an expedition to the attic to determine its usefulness for storage, Knapke and her mother found boxes the Armstrongs had left behind, including a box filled with school projects, handmade crafts and old toys that had belonged to the space pioneer as a child.

Knapke said she reached out to Viola Armstrong to return the items, but she insisted they keep them.

Among the items in the box was a red metal plane, a toy that Viola Armstrong remembered giving to her son when he was 3 or 4 years old. When Knapke showed her the plane, Armstrong was amazed to see how well it had been taken care of, including a broken wheel on the back that her son had lovingly tended to and fixed.

As time went on and Neil Armstrong prepared to become the first man on the moon, Knapke spoke with his mom to see how she felt about the lunar landing a couple months before launch.

"Oh, Jackie," she had said to Knapke, "I just hope he doesn't fall through."

Viola Armstrong had revealed that she was worried that the moon's surface would be too soft and her son "would sink in deeply."

After his mission, Neil Armstrong was welcomed back to his hometown with a parade to celebrate. Knapke said she and several of her friends from Piqua had waited until after the parade to ride their bikes to the Armstrong's current home. She said the house was surrounded by caution tape and swarmed with TV crews, security personnel and a huge crowd.

Knapke, who was 19 at the time, clambered atop a picnic table and stood and watched as Neil Armstrong, his wife and his two children rode to the property in an open convertible, followed by his parents in a separate car.

She recalled shouting Viola Armstrong's name and waving her arms in an attempt to grab her attention. Viola Armstrong eventually noticed Knapke, nudged her husband and pointed directly at her through the crowd.

"Jackie, come in," she commanded.

Knapke said her friends practically pushed her off the table and she scrambled to the house.

Once inside, Knapke sat down in the kitchen with the man she had admired for years as a test pilot, now as the first man to ever walk on the moon. She said they spoke briefly, perhaps 5 minutes, as Neil Armstrong was a private person and she felt like she was intruding.

However, they both reminisced on the home they had shared, swapping short stories and telling each other who had slept in what room.

Knapke had a photograph of the home that she and the now famous astronaut had shared. Armstrong signed her photograph and added the address of the home.

"That was real special," Knapke said, as later on Armstrong stopped signing photographs altogether.

Knapke's family sold the home in 1986 after living there for more than 20 years - longer than the Armstrong family had lived there, she added. Yet the items Knapke had found in the attic all those years ago stayed with her.

Years later she consulted the Armstrong Air and Space Museum to see if they were interested in purchasing some of the items. Instead, she was encouraged to keep them because they would appreciate in value, she was told.

In 2013 Knapke and her husband were in need of money due to mounting medical bills. She was put into contact with someone from Heritage Auction Sales in Austin, Texas. The auction house had items from Armstrong and fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin but nothing from their childhoods, especially Armstrong's, she said.

The auction house sold the entire collection, which Knapke said amounted to more than what her parents paid for the house in 1964.

Knapke now lives in Coldwater, although she still has some memorabilia of her own she's collected through the years. The front page of the town's paper on the day of the moon landing, commemorative magazine issues and newer items such as a shirt to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, are just a few examples.

Knapke said she has photos on display at the Coldwater library and will give a presentation there entitled "That's My House!" at 6 p.m. Wednesday.