Obituary for Gary Knight
Ret. U.S. Army Maj. Gary L. Knight, 68, of Lansing, Kan., died Monday, July 18, 2022. He was born Feb. 18, 1954, in Chicago Heights, Ill., to Paul and Dessie (Kivett) Knight.
Gary attended the Virginia Military Institute on a four-year scholarship and graduated in 1976 with military honors. He also graduated from Army Airborne and Ranger schools. Gary was commissioned in the U.S. Army Armor Branch after graduating from VMI and retired as a U.S. Army Armor Branch Major. He then began a second career as a pilot and worked his way up to flying commercial passenger planes.
On Jan. 30, 1988, Gary married Joanne McGrath in Kenmore, N.Y. She survives at the home. He is also survived by two children, a daughter, Amanda Boyers, of Kansas City, Mo., and son, Colin Knight, of Chandler, Ariz. Two sisters, Sheila Fiorini, of Crete, Ill., and Shae Knight of Oglesby, Ill.; three brothers, Glen Knight of San Antonio, Texas, Paul Knight of Wheeler, Ore., and Evan Knight of Medford, Ore.; three granddaughters, Adeline Boyers, Phoebe Boyers and Séraphine Boyers; friends from his time attending Virginia Military Institute, Kurt Luckenbill, Charles Archer and Ron LaGrone; the “Colonel” of Gary’s flying crew from the airport, Jeff Givens; and his lifelong friend, Doug Johnson.
Gary was a devoted husband, father and grandpa. He loved teaching his granddaughters to play Risk, accompanying them on Girl Scout activities and taking them to museums and the bookstore. Gary enjoyed nightly dinners at home with his wife and listening to the Retro Cocktail Hour on the radio. Having a shared sense of adventure and drive, Gary loved supporting his daughter in her many endeavors and hobbies too. He also loved anything history related, but particularly enjoyed reading about and discussing military and space-related historical events. He enjoyed frequent conversations with his son about their shared military experiences. Building his replica of a WWII Nieuport 28 was his way of combining two of his strongest passions in life, history and flying.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, July 31, 2022, at the R.L. Leintz Funeral Home. A funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, August 1, 2022, at the funeral home. Burial with full military honors will follow at Leavenworth National Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Unleashed Pet Rescue and the WW1 Memorial.
Gary attended the Virginia Military Institute on a four-year scholarship and graduated in 1976 with military honors. He also graduated from Army Airborne and Ranger schools. Gary was commissioned in the U.S. Army Armor Branch after graduating from VMI and retired as a U.S. Army Armor Branch Major. He then began a second career as a pilot and worked his way up to flying commercial passenger planes.
On Jan. 30, 1988, Gary married Joanne McGrath in Kenmore, N.Y. She survives at the home. He is also survived by two children, a daughter, Amanda Boyers, of Kansas City, Mo., and son, Colin Knight, of Chandler, Ariz. Two sisters, Sheila Fiorini, of Crete, Ill., and Shae Knight of Oglesby, Ill.; three brothers, Glen Knight of San Antonio, Texas, Paul Knight of Wheeler, Ore., and Evan Knight of Medford, Ore.; three granddaughters, Adeline Boyers, Phoebe Boyers and Séraphine Boyers; friends from his time attending Virginia Military Institute, Kurt Luckenbill, Charles Archer and Ron LaGrone; the “Colonel” of Gary’s flying crew from the airport, Jeff Givens; and his lifelong friend, Doug Johnson.
Gary was a devoted husband, father and grandpa. He loved teaching his granddaughters to play Risk, accompanying them on Girl Scout activities and taking them to museums and the bookstore. Gary enjoyed nightly dinners at home with his wife and listening to the Retro Cocktail Hour on the radio. Having a shared sense of adventure and drive, Gary loved supporting his daughter in her many endeavors and hobbies too. He also loved anything history related, but particularly enjoyed reading about and discussing military and space-related historical events. He enjoyed frequent conversations with his son about their shared military experiences. Building his replica of a WWII Nieuport 28 was his way of combining two of his strongest passions in life, history and flying.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, July 31, 2022, at the R.L. Leintz Funeral Home. A funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, August 1, 2022, at the funeral home. Burial with full military honors will follow at Leavenworth National Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Unleashed Pet Rescue and the WW1 Memorial.