WILMINGTON — Juanita Irene Collins Knox, known by friends as Nita, was born 10/30/45 in Tarboro, NC to Evelyn Irene Fulford Collins and Thomas Lee Collins, Jr. and died 11/27/24 in Wilmington, NC.
Married to Thomas Henry Knox on Oct 7, 1966.
She is survived by her oldest daughter, Teri Knox Dickinson of Wilmington, NC, and her youngest daughter, Evelyn Knox Lichtman of Richmond, VA. She is also survived by five granddaughters, Sydney Grace Dickinson, Allison Taylor League, Lillian Grace League, Zoe Knox League, and Brooklyn Sophia Lichtman, and two sons-in-law, Scott Dickinson and Robert Lichtman.
Nita graduated from East Carolina University and went on to work as a teacher, then office administrator in Greenville, NC, a law office secretary in Boston, MA, and an office manager in Kotzebue, Alaska, and medical office manager in Idabel, OK. But her most important role was that of office manager in her husband’s dental office, first in Chesapeake VA, then in Tarboro, NC until 2012 when they moved back to Alaska.
Nita loved her family immensely and enjoyed spending time with her daughters whenever possible. She also had a love of horses that was handed down to her by her father and his father before him. She was an avid rider throughout high school, and later in life enjoyed several horses on their farm in Speed.
Dr. Thomas Henry Knox’s ashes will be interred with Nita at Greenwood Cemetery in Tarboro. Tommy, as he was known to everyone, was born 1/18/44 in Newport News, VA, but he grew up in Tarboro, NC. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He died on Feb 28, 2021 in Anchorage, AK.
Survived by his wife, Nita and daughters, Teri and Evelyn, and his granddaughters, and his brother George Robert ‘Bobby’ Knox.
Tommy taught high school in eastern NC and Virginia Beach, VA for many years, while also attending ECU to acquire the credits needed to enter dental school. He graduated from Tufts Dental School in Boston in 1985. He then worked as a dentist in Chesapeake, VA, then entered the US Public Health Service where the two of them moved to Kotzebue, AK, then Idabel, OK and finally back to their hometown of Tarboro where they ran a dental practice for more than twenty years.
Thomas enjoyed building projects with his hands, including boats, trains and planes. He and Nita also enjoyed traveling the country together whenever possible.
