DaVinci's founder leaves legacy of compassion

One winter many years ago, Kal Knudson watched a young girl burst into tears when her mother explained why she couldn't have her photo taken with Santa Claus.

Her family simply couldn't afford it.

That very day, Knudson went to the store and bought a Santa outfit. For the next 17 Christmas seasons he dressed up as Santa Claus at his restaurant. DaVinci's, a Lincoln staple, has been operating since Knudson opened it in 1983.

"He loved the smile it brought to children's faces," said Knudson's grandson Tom Knudson, a senior finance major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Knudson's Santa Claus photos were free of charge, and so were toys he and his wife, Darlene, handed out.

"He and my grandma would dress up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus and sit there for hours and listen to all the kids," Tom said.

On Sunday, Knudson, 79, passed away at the Monarch Hospice House in Lincoln. His failing health kept him in hospice for close to three weeks.

Knudson's daughter Eileen Alby, one of six children, had hoped for her father's recovery.

"You always want your loved ones to get better," she said, "but as we saw that things were changing and that things were not doing well, it was hard for all of us.

"We're going to miss him incredibly because he was such an incredible man," she added. "He was a singer and poet. He was just an incredible Christian who loved God and stood for his faith in everything he did."

Knudson was born March 23, 1929, in South Dakota. He was a pastor in various churches in South Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri while attending university and seminary until moving to Lincoln in 1976 to launch a restaurant.

"...He was a workaholic and he was never home. He came home one day (and asked his wife) if they would quit their jobs, get the kids together and start a restaurant," Knudson's son Kelly Knudson said. "That's how the legacy got started."

Alby said her father wanted to open a restaurant because he felt he had not created a legacy for his children to follow.

"All of our lives he said, 'Wouldn't it be fun to own a restaurant or an ice cream parlor?'" Alby recalled.

With members of his family, Knudson opened his first restaurant, Pontillo's Pizzeria, in April 1978 in downtown Lincoln. Three years later he started a second restaurant, Knudson's House of Hoagies. After two years, the House became daVinci's.

In 2003, daVinci's celebrated its 25th anniversary. By that time, the restaurant had expanded to numerous locations across Lincoln and launched the first successful online ordering, delivery and carryout system in the region.

Knudson retired before his business' silver anniversary, choosing to spend his days working with wood.

"He's given back to so many people, helping out his family and community throughout triumph and struggles," his grandson Tom said. "He was a great all-around man."

Tom was at his grandfather's side minutes before Knudson passed away. Tom said they talked about the past and the future.

Then he paused and added, "He will be a missed man."

jamieklein@dailynebraskan.com