As often happens at the loss of the strong, central energy of a family, we were sent adrift into fathomless grief, unable to string together words that carry enough weight to encapsulate the impact you made on our lives. Instead, we’ve privately laughed and cried during sweet, small moments when you reach out to us through a song on the radio, muscle cars on the highway, or urges to go on Sunday drives down winding roads leading to nowhere. The words still feel hollow compared to the loss that cuts so deep that we struggle to speak of it.
Lonnie Knight was born in a log cabin near Forsyth, Missouri on January 24th, 1947, along with his twin brother, Frank. He loved to tell the story of how their parents paid Doc Threadgill $12.50 for each of their deliveries. Like the hill folk that came before him, Lonnie shared family history with his own children through tales and legends he’d heard at the knee of his elder kin as a child. He was a fantastic storyteller, even if his embellishments caused more than one of us kids to get into trouble at school when we retold his stories during show-and-tell.
Lonnie met his soulmate, Ruth Ann Quick as a teenager, and they were married on August 27, 1965. Toot, as he affectionately called her, was the love of Lonnie’s life, and throughout 57 years of marriage, they created an infinite bond through love and steadfastness that remains unbroken, even during this temporary separation of time and space. Like Clark Griswold, Lonnie absolutely adored Christmas and family vacations in the form of cross-country road trips that often consisted of backseat arguing, smelly feet, and some vehicle malfunction. He was employed at Schreiber Foods for many years, before transitioning to truck driving at D&D Sexton, where he remained until retirement. Lonnie never met a stranger and loved befriending folks everywhere he went.
On April 15th, 2023, Lonnie moved on to a heavenly place where illness and pain are long forgotten to reunite with parents, Merrill and Partha Knight, and siblings: Dave, Marie, Claudia, Frank, and John. He is survived by his wife Ruth Ann, sister Merileen Swanson, and children: Lonnie Knight (Rhonda), Holly Shackelford (Paul), Stephanie Sanders (Bobby), and Anna Njau (George), as well as 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Happy first heavenly birthday, Dad. You are dearly missed and so very loved.
