John William Knight

John William Knight, Jr. of High Point passed away at his home on Thursday, February 16, 2017.  He was 74.  He was a loving and dedicated husband, father, and grandfather.

John was born in Sumter, South Carolina, the son of John William Knight and Mildred Kelly Knight.  He graduated from Eau Claire High School in 1960 and then served with the South Carolina Air National Guard through 1969, where he secured his P.E. as an electrical engineer.  He graduated from Central Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Science in Business.  He retired from Lockwood Greene Engineers as the Division Manager of the Government & Advanced Systems Engineering.  He then spent several years with Raytheon Engineers & Constructors before joining the South Carolina Emergency Management Division as Chief of Mitigation and Risk Assessment.  At the age of 67, he retired to the family home at Lake Wateree, SC to enjoy life with his wife, Gayle. He enjoyed working in his yard, boating and fishing on the lake, cooking for his wife and family, golfing with friends and reading. He was predeceased by his parents; his sister Gloria Pennington; and sons Kelly Lewis Knight and John William Knight, III.

He is survived by his wife Gayle Herlong Knight; daughter Carrie Knight Kitzmiller and her husband David Kitzmiller, grandchildren Leigh Evan and Davis Anne Kitzmiller of McKinney, Texas; daughter Tracie Duncan Colgan and her husband Tim Colgan, children Nichol, Megan and Drew Colgan of Raleigh, North Carolina; daughter Kimberly Duncan Bell and children Brinley and Duncan Bell of High Point; nephew Lance Pennington and wife Nancy of New York; and niece Reina Pennington of Vermont

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held 2:00 pm Monday in the chapel of Cumby Family Funeral Service.  The family will greet friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers the family request that memorials be given to Hospice of the Piedmont, 1815 Westchester Drive, High Point, NC  27262 or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 6931 Arlington Road, 2nd FL., Bethesda, MD  20814 and then have a glass of wine, take a moment to remember the good times, and then sit back and enjoy life

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