Ralph Knight Obituary

Ralph Thompson Knight, born April 3, 1920 to Ralph Gardner Knight and Jean Rebecca Graham in Randolph, MA, died September 26, 2011, in Colorado Springs. He was 91 years old. Survivors include daughter and son-in-law Donna and Eric Shrift of Fowler; son and daughter-in-law Warren and Melinda Knight of Canon City; daughter Carol Knight of Boulder; daughter-in-law Beth Knight of Pueblo; sister Eleanore Mooney of Modesto, CA; sisters- and brothers-in-law, Becky and Paul McDill of Windsor, Virginia King of Bakersfield, CA, and Ben and Elaine King of Houston, TX; 13 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and 13 nieces and nephews. His wife, Lela Jean (King) Knight, two brothers, and a son, Brian T. Knight of Pueblo, preceded him in death. Mr. Knight grew up and attended schools in the Washington Park neighborhood of Denver, graduating from South High School in 1938. At the onset of World War II, he was inducted into the Army on June 2, 1942. He served honorably with the 875th Bombardment Squadron in the Pacific Theater. Mr. Knight married Lela Jean King of Denver on January 3, 1943, at Bethesda, MD, before he deployed to radio school at Tampa, FL. Mr. Knight earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Denver in 1948. He worked for Sproul Homes in Security, CO, and later worked as an independent real-estate appraiser. Active in his community, Mr. and Mrs. Knight headed up the American Heart Association fund drive in Security, and he was a member of the Security Lions Club. After they moved to Colorado Springs in 1970, Ralph and Lela Jean founded the Peace Library of Colorado Springs. Later Mr. Knight organized a neighborhood watch initiative in his Shooks Run area. A memorial service for Mr. Knight will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 1, 2011, at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 1201 Leta Drive, Security. After the service, a reception will be hosted by the family at his home.