WILMINGTON — Christine (Chris) Kirk Knight, age 92, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, March 9th, 2025, surrounded by people who love her.
Born on October 8, 1932, she is predeceased by parents Vint and Bertha Kirk and siblings Glenn Kirk, Harold Kirk, Sharlene Halsey and Lorene Smith. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years James (Jim) Knight, children Pegatha McKeon, Gary Rath, and Katrina Knight, stepdaughter Lenora Knight, family friend and adopted son Chris Schell, and cherished cousin Darlene Adkins Whitlatch. Chris took particular joy in being a grandmother and was especially close to grandsons John Rath and Caleb Knight-Olsen, who she saw as smart, kind, and hard-working—all traits we admired first in her.
For a little girl who almost did not live to the age of two, she enjoyed a life that was not only long but more importantly rich with love, fun, and joy in nature’s beauty. Chris was born in the hills of Eastern Kentucky to a family who had lost their first four children at birth or soon after, only to later see baby Christine stricken with whooping cough and diphtheria, the latter nearly killing her. A favorite uncle went home to his wife one evening, telling her he “had held that baby for the last time” because she wasn’t expected to live until morning. A treasured photo of the ailing baby with her big sister Sharlene exists only because Vint and Bertha were determined not to lose another child without having something to remember her by. Chris rallied and enjoyed the rest of her childhood with her parents and siblings in Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan, where the family had moved for better economic opportunity and where Henry Ford paid for the children’s school supplies.
Chris especially enjoyed time with her big brother Harold, who took her on double dates and to see the Ink Spots in a car with no floorboard, leaving Chris and her date to sit precariously on a block of wood in the back seat, hanging on for dear life. Harold would also take bets from other boys that he could fully “roll” his Ford car—with little sister riding shotgun. He never rolled it despite regular attempts to flip it and they never told their very proper, God fearing mom and dad what they were up to.
Chris saw both her brothers serve in WWII, attended secretarial school, and by 1954 had married and become a mother. Peggy Jean was born that year, followed by Gary Michael in 1956. After a few years in Sault Ste. Marie on the shores of Lake Superior, the young family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Chris would eventually find herself a single mother. For the next several years, Chris would work as many as three jobs at a time to support the household and ensure as happy a childhood for her kids as possible—a special challenge for a single mother in the less forgiving 1960s. This time would bond the three together in a special way for the rest of their lives, with Chris forever after a family hero for her unflagging strength, perseverance, and determination. By 1969, Chris had become the one-woman staff running the credit union on Atlanta’s “Fort Mac” Army base, where she closed $1 million in loans one year on an old and rickety typewriter. As fate would have it, a young soldier had his heart set on some hotrod of the time, and his need for a loan quickly took a back seat to his hopes for a date with the smart cookie processing his paperwork.
Jim and Chris were married in 1971, welcoming baby Katrina later that year. When Jim returned from serving in Vietnam the following year, the family moved to northern Virginia, where he would be stationed at the Army’s Vint Hill Farms Station. In Virginia, Chris was able to lean into her passion for all things creative. She painted and crocheted, installed a ceramics kiln in the basement, and spent many hours turning their country acre into a gardener’s paradise. Chris’ talents were legendary, with teachers vying for her to be their class mom and assigning her child the performance roles with the toughest costumes, as surely Chris Knight could come up with something for “The Cheese” to wear in a performance of the Farmer in the Dell better than anyone else. Chris worked part-time jobs that allowed her to be available to their youngest, her favorite role working for Prince William County Schools as an aide on a bus for special needs children, ensuring their safety, greeting them with love, and bringing smiles and laughter to their day. Chris was also something of a card shark, outplaying many a “men’s poker group” she was invited into. A successful visit back to Michigan would mean returning to a favorite boutique to buy at least a blouse—if not an entire outfit—with several days’ winnings from playing cribbage for money with her poor sister-in-law Ginny.
In 1990 Chris and Jim moved to Tavares, Florida, where Chris joined Jim in operating a small business securing and delivering plants to florists and nurseries throughout northern Florida and southern Georgia, making many friends among the clients along their route. At their new home, Chris converted what had been a boat garage into a “sewing room” with floor to ceiling shelves of fabric and notions, craft supplies, work tables, two sewing machines and a serger. A night owl, it was routine for Chris to disappear into this space about 9 p.m. to listen to books on tape and work on her many projects, not returning until well after midnight. Many a family heirloom was created in that space over the last 35 years, not to mention the number of daughters’ clothing repairs and worn teddy bear/lovey surgeries for the little ones of the family. Over the years Chris became more and more passionate about quilting, a family tradition started in Kentucky many generations ago.
Chris designed and created at least one quilt for every family member and treasured friend. She became a volunteer for the national Quilts of Valor program, and over a period of years created and awarded more than 40 quilts to Veterans residing at Good Shepherd Center’s Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center. As she shared at each award ceremony, she was so grateful that her brothers (U.S. Army), husband (U.S. Army), and son (U.S. Air Force) all returned home safely from war that she felt a special responsibility to thank Veterans for their service and ensure that they always feel remembered, even in their darkest moments.
A talented home cook, making her kids’ favorite dishes was a love language for Chris. She was an adventurous eater willing to try anything and eat anything from any culture—except for boiled peanuts, the one food she found intolerable. In recent years she spent her time sewing and reading voraciously. Family visits often included game marathons throughout the day and evening, with Chris winning competitive card games as recently as January, her lifelong combination of competitiveness, smarts and luck exasperatingly hard to beat. A lifelong lover of puzzles and brainteasers, Chris started every morning with coffee and an hour or two playing Sudoku on her tablet. For the last 35 years Chris spent hours each day on the screened-in lanai of her Florida home, looking down the peaceful canal, watching the vibrant bird life (and alligators!) and admiring the many flowering plants she’d added over the years.
We will treasure our memories of our mom and think of her whenever we see a pelican, orchid, or purple iris. It is hard to imagine our lives without this wonderfully sweet and loving person but we are grateful for the years we had together. Were we to have had her for a hundred years it would not have felt like enough.
Donations in Chris’ memory may be made to Good Shepherd Center (811 Martin St. Wilmington, NC 28401).
