J. T. Morriss & Son Funeral Homes

Knight, William A.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

William Anderson Knight 1930 – 2007. Mr. Knight is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Lee Smith Knight: four children; William A. Knight, Jr., Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Samuel Foman Knight, Chesterfield; Sally Haviland Knight, Colonial Heights; and Virginia Lee Spiers, Dinwiddie: five grandchildren, Jennifer Dawn Helm; Samuel F. Knight, Jr., Rebecca Erin Knight; Marshall Andrew Spiers; and Georgia Lee Spiers: and two great grandchildren, Wilson and Shawn Helm. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Mr. Knight was a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Southern California School of Engineering. He served 26 years in the United States Air Force, entering service in 1953 at the close of the Korean War. Active in the Reserves, he was recalled to active duty for the Berlin Wall crisis of 1961 and again in 1963 for the Cuban Missile Crisis. He served in Germany, Iceland, and Viet Nam as well as Washington, Colorado, Montana, Florida and Virginia. Colonel Knight’s citations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense, Commendation, Presidential Unit Citation and Outstanding Unit Awards. Upon retirement from the Air Force, he became an Internal Auditor for the Virginia Department of Social Services. During his lifetime he was active in PTA, YMCA Indian Guides, Cub Scouts, Military Officers Association and various civic and neighborhood organizations. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled Americans Veterans, the Association of Government Accountants, and the Institute of Internal Audit. A funeral service will be held in honor of Mr. Knight on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. in the Chesterfield Chapel of J. T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park, Chester. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the American Cancer Society, found at www.cancer.org, would be much appreciated. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com

We are so sorry for your loss. I remember Uncle Bill as a little girl, but Mama and Daddy have talked so much about him that I feel like I saw him only a short time ago. They enjoyed your visits and family dinners so much. He generously gave so much of himself to all of his family.

May God bless you and give you comfort. With love, Melissa

Posted by: Melissa & Bill Jones at February 27, 2007 02:09 PM

sorry to hear about a loss of a family member..the col was my sq commander in the great place of [hofn] iceland.we later hooked up again at ft lee where we were on the same crew and he was my sr director..after we ret i saw him a couple of times at bellwood and the commissary at ft lee. he was a great person to work for..even though he was an officer and me enlisted we did play some poker gasmes together in iceland.. he was always well liked and a good oddicer to work for. we always had a good reationship... Tsg [ret] Michael Smolko Midlothian, Va

Posted by: michael smolko at February 27, 2007 09:22 AM

I worked with Bill at DSS. His work was often very confidential, but he never let that aspect close him off from his co-workers. He was friendly and outgoing, and it was my priviledge to know him. In addition to all his other activities, Bill also enjoyed shooting. I fondly remember one such outing with Bill when I brought my daughter along to shoot skeet. Before we began, Bill wanted to go over the safety rules for everyone, and my daughter said she knew them all (She was in MCJROTC at the time). OK, Bill says, tell us. She did, and impressed all of us. In fact, Bill noted that he had forgotten a couple of those rules himself. She was beaming for the next week from that compliment. Bill had that effect on people. I will miss him, but I'm glad I knew him.

Posted by: Rick Fowler at February 26, 2007 08:04 AM