William Bailey Knight
passed away after a sudden tragic accident on his property, August 9, 2014. Bill was preceded in death by his loving parents, H. Stuart Knight and Betty L. Knight [Cooley]. He is survived by and is the dear brother of Suzanne [Neil] Cawley, Robert [Joann] Knight, John Knight, and Barbara Powell. Dear uncle of Jacquelyn and Zachary Powell. Dear special friend, Dianne Benjamin. Dear godchildren, Nathan Alan Pyatt and Abigail Marie Guiliani. Bill was born in Detroit, MI and raised in Vienna, VA. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and entered the United States Marine Corp in 1976. After serving in the USMC he returned to St. Louis to continue his professional career and retired in 2006. He was an active member of Missouri Native Plant Society, International Club @ St. Louis Community College-Meramec and HOG: Harley’s Owner Group of Kirkwood. A Celebration of life will be on Monday, August 18, 2014, 6:00 PM in the small Chapel at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd., St. Louis, 63108. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Gallery. In recognition of Bill’s wishes, his remains will be buried at sea and he will receive a full Veterans Military honor guard service. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Bill’s memory to:
Ozark Chinquapin Foundation [www.ozarkchinquapin.com] In Memory of Bill Knight, PO Box 1133, Salem, MO 65560
St. Louis Community College Foundation, Meramec International Club-In Memory of Bill Knight, 300 S. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102
Hartbauer/McBride Memorial Foundation, The Biker’s Fund-In Memory of Bill Knight, 4870 Taffy Lane, Arnold, MO 63010
I’m so sorry to hear about Bill. He was such a beautiful person and friend.
Quite a shock. I was so sorry to hear about Bill’s death. His sense of humor and hard work for MONPS will be missed.
Bill was one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to know. He will be greatly missed. I’m very sorry for his loss.
As everyone, I was shocked and saddened hearing about Bill’s passing. As President of the Missouri Native Plant Society (MONPS) I extend my sincerest condolences and prayers to Dianne and the entire Knight family.
Bill was a very active, enthusiastic, helpful member of our society. He was dedicated, hard working, had a great sense of humor, and an insatiable desire to learn new things. He was, in many ways, the face of MONPS and served the entire membership without ever complaining. He had a passion for plants and our natural world. He had a pleasing personality and was loved by everyone in the society. His family and friends can take solace in the fact that he made a difference. He will be greatly missed and not forgotten.
RIP Bill. I love and miss you so much. I can’t believe you won’t walk through my door any more. WILLIAM B KNIGHT WAS ALSO THE GODFATHER TO NATHAN PYATT AND ABIGAIL MARIE. HE LOVED THEM KIDS LIKE THEY WERE HIS OWN. You were an amazing person and was a happy camper who was always smiling. I will miss your laugh and sense of humor. Until wee meet again.
What a shock. Life is so precious and sometimes so tenuous. Bill was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, a true gentleman. He will be missed.
So sad! To all he loved and to all of us who loved him my heart aches. My love to “Little Ben”. Our lives are greater for having known him and he will never be forgotten.
Carolyn and I extend our condolences. Bill befriended me the first time I met him on a WGNSS Monday botany walk a few years ago. We will miss his presence whenever we meet with the native plant group.
I knew Bill through his generous and loving support of my nephew, Nathan. Bill went above and beyond for Nathan, and I know he loved Abby just the same. He did more for kids that were not related to him than any person I have ever met. I know that nine year-old (almost ten) Nathan is crushed by this tremendous loss. Bill was a consistent and wonderful presence in Nathan’s life, helping out with school, going to Nathan’s events, spending time with Nathan, and so much more. He simply can’t be replaced. We will mourn his loss along with Shannon, Nathan and Abby, and we will do what we can to honor his memory by continuing to love those kids as he would. Thank you, Bill, for everything.
We are already missing Bill’s presence in our lives. He does leave us with a lot of memories: his happy face when he first attended a native plant class at SLCC-Meramec, his enjoyment of the activities of the International Club there, his stories of his work and discoveries on property in Madison County, his pride in his Harley and Mini Cooper, his following Paul McKenzie on field trips compiling plant species lists, his willingness to take on the essential but dreaded job of mailing the MONPS newsletter, his making cedar Leopold benches for donations to the MONPS Scholarship Fund, and the twinkle in his eye when Dianne was around. On a very human scale, his life made the world a better place.
So shocked at the news of Bill’s passing! What a great guy! We were always happy to see each other and chat it up at our Native Plant Society gatherings. I’ll miss his smiling face, his energy, and his enthusiasm for nature. What a great loss for our plant society and the human race in general.
Diane, you and all Bill’s friends and family are in my prayers.
Our sincere condolences to the family, Dianne and close friends.
We always looked forward and counted on Bill as a bright spot over the days of every field botany trip. We were privileged to know Bill as a friend.
Jack & Pat Harris
Dear Suzanne, Bob, John and Barbara –
I am so very sorry to hear such sad news. I can only imagine how devastating Bill’s death must be for your family. The last time I spoke to Bill, we talked about how wonderful it was to be neighbors on Timber Lane in Vienna. We agreed that those were the best years! I will keep you all in my prayers during this very sad and difficult time.
Suzanne, Neil, Bob, Joanne, John, Barbara, Jacquelyn and Zachary, We are so very sorry to hear the sad news of Bill’s death. Still difficult to believe. Our prayers are with you during this very difficult time. Wish that we could be with you.
Having a wonderful time knowing you.you will be greatly missed.Donna
Shannon/Nathan/Abby/Amanda/Blake/lili/Gene/ grandpa/grandma/tony/charlie
Words can not express my shock and heartache over the sudden death of Bill. Dan and I were privileged to meet Bill and were so happy that Bill and Dianne had found each other.
I am so sad that I can not attend the service due to a recent surgery. I will be praying for the family and Dianne.
Love you, Dianne
So shocked when we heard about Bill. He was a Great friend and will be missed greatly. He was always so cheerful and a such a kind person. Our prayers go to his family and Dianne.
Dear Sue, Bob, John and Barbara,
I am so sorry for your loss. Bill was always a person of integrity, honesty, kindness and independence. He was quiet and lived life on his terms. To Diane and his friends in Missouri after reading your comments it seems that Bill never varied from the principles that we knew about him when we were neighbors in Vienna, Va. He will be missed. Jacque and I will keep you all in our prayers and thoughts.
So sorry to learn of Bill’s death. In reading the condolences I learned what a kind and caring person he was. Our thoughts are with the Knight family this week. Love Nancy(Joann’s sister)
I am still in shock about Bill’s tragic accident on the property he enjoyed so much. I have great memories of MONPS quarterly meetings & field trips & riding in his new Mini Cooper. He was kind, generous, and greatly interested in plants. His contributions to MONPS will be remembered.
We will miss Bill as a dear, dear friend, and a most dependable, contributing member of society. He will be hard to replace on this earth.
My heart goes out to his family and close friends. Bill was, without a doubt, one of a kind. His easy going manner put everyone at ease, he was such a good person. He will be missed.
We have lost a generous, caring man. Eager to learn, eager to help, Bill lit up a room with vibrant enthusiasm. He will be sorely missed. Special condolences to those closest to him–you are in our thoughts.