Obituary of Joe Knight

On July 6th, 1937 Eva and John Knight Sr. welcomed their son John Dennis Knight Jr. into the Knight Family. John who was affectionately known as Joe Louis was born and raised in Williamston North Carolina with his 6 brothers; Noah T. Knight, Booker T. Knight, Edward Knight, Richard L. Knight, Linwood Earl Knight, and Nazarine Griffin Sr. and his three sisters Maxine Mixon, Verna Gray James and Vivian L. Knight. They all lived together on a farm in Williamston where hard work, morals and values were instilled into the Knight children at an incredibly young age. Joe and his siblings would work together beside their father Jack from sunrise to sunset to ensure their family had all their needs. It would be those same morals and values instilled into Joe that would later structure him to become a provider for his own family in the future.

In the late 50’s Joe left Williamston North Carolina and moved to Brooklyn, New York to be closer to his sister Verna Gray and brother-in-law Billy James, to later venture off to Connecticut to turn the world upside down with his crazy little brother Richard. Only some of the Knight siblings moved to New York and Connecticut, some remained in the southern states. Joe refused to let the geographical distance be the excuse once came in between him and his brothers and sisters. His summer vacations earned from work were spent travelling through the south visiting each one of them and their families that he was unable to see on a regular basis.

Joe began working as a bus driver for CT Transit in Stamford, Connecticut in 1968 and would continue to work for them for over 30 years until happily retiring on January 22, 2000 with numerous accreditations received throughout those 30 years for outstanding performance. While working for CT Transit, Joe became one of the most well-known, highly respected, and admired drivers. He was a familiar friendly face to all the residents of Stamford and impacted so many lives throughout his career. Joe was known to always magically be assigned to the same route that would very, very slowly drive by the schools of his children once they started high school. Coincidentally, his lunch break and a good majority of his work day would also be spent waiting inside of the bus right outside the front of the high school….just in case anyone should so happen to need a ride.

On December 13th 1975 Joe married his gift from Heaven and the woman he would love for the rest of his life Michele. Together they made and raised a family Joe would always ensure knew were the single most important part of his life. He embraced every sacrifice to make sure his family never had to. What he began with a family, he ended with a legacy as the Patriarch of the Knight Family and the last of his generation. He did not have much to give as far as worldly goods, but he left behind a treasure he hoped we both understood, cherished, and continued with our own children. The importance of family. “Family means everything to me, as long as I have my family, I don’t need anything else.” He lived by that and on March 19th 2021 he took his last breath fulfilling that dream. With his family.

Joe is preceded in death by his both his parents, all his siblings and Brother-in-Law Delmond James. He leaves to mourn and cherish him his beloved wife Micki three children Lisa, Nicole and Joey, 4 grandsons Kirby, Eric, Camian and Caydon 10 granddaughters; LaKeisha, Tonya, Toshia, Jazmyne, Toni Jade, Janiaya, Tellah, Taijah, Mia and Zoe 4 great grandchildren Aaron, Reese ? and Isabella. Sisters-in-law Mabel Knight, Shirley Knight, Eva Knight, and Jerrilyn Knight along with a host of nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

In Loving Memory of our Dad

He never looked for praises,

he was never one to boast.

He just went on working hard and quietly

For the ones he loved the most.

His Dreams were seldom spoken,

His wants were very few,

And most of the times his worries went unspoked too.

He was THERE… a FIRM foundation

Through all our storms of life

A sturdy hand to hold on to

In times of stress and strife

A true friend we can turn to and count on

When times are good or bad

One of our greatest blessings is the man we called Dad