Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Dianne Bedwell said her partner of 29 years, Cecil Knutson, made a wrong turn when they were searching for a short-cut to a son’s house for dinner last Mother’s Day. The couple were stranded in their car after it got stuck on a rock while Knutson was attempting to turn it around. The two survived on rainwater, a pie and a bag of oranges, but Cecil died, according to Bedwell, after one week. Off-roaders found Bedwell dehydrated but alive two weeks after the couple went missing. Knutson, a Marine land mine demolition expert in the Korean war, “Just fell asleep. I thank God for that. There was no pain, no anger,” Bedwell said. She told Cecil, ‘Honey, we all make mistakes. We had 29 wonderful years together. If we make it out, fine. If we don’t make it out, fine.’ An autopsy determined he died of a heart attack. A 21-gun salute honored Knutson at Riverside National Cemetery.