James Michael McKnight, Mike to those who knew him, passed away at home on Saturday, 14 May 2022, after suffering with mixed vascular dementia/Alzheimer's for several years and finally battling with COVID-19 for 10 days. He was a loving father and grandfather to his four children, daughters Twila D Downing of Pacific and Lisa M Battern of Edmonds, sons Eric W and Alan G McKnight, both of Puyallup, twelve grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Mike was a devoted husband to his wife Jean, who he married at Ramey Air Base in Puerto Rico, on 3 March 1963. She passed away last year on 24 February 2021.
Mike was born on 3 October 1942 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Joseph Warren McKnight and Mary Evelyn Jones. He had sister, Rosemary, who passed away in Oregon some years back, and a sister who lives in Italy, Margaret McKnight. After his parents divorced when Mike was 6, he was raised by his grandparents, Methodist Minister Byron A McKnight and Viola Lee Suddath, at their home in Belleville, Arkansas. In his teens, Mike was placed with the Brigham family in Little Rock so that he could attend high school in the city. Mike was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouts, acquiring his boating skills and earning their highest honor, the Quartermaster Award.
Following graduation, Mike enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he spent over twenty years serving in the weather maintenance field, as a technician, supervisor and then manager, with assignments to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, Chanute AFB in Illinois, Fort Sill Army Base in Oklahoma, Bergstrom AFB in Texas, Fairchild AFB in Washington state, and headquarters at Scott AFB in Illinois. He also served in Vietnam. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sargent (SMSgt) in 1980, he worked for Key Tronic in Spokane, Washington as a Technical Services Group Leader for Engineering. In 1985 he completed his Bachelor of Arts in English at Eastern Washington University, majoring in Technical Communication, and in 1987 began his career with Boeing in Seattle, starting as a Technical Writer in Redmond, and then as a Customer Service Maintenance Training Analyst, and finally Organization Advisor and Technical Writer in Auburn. Mike retired from Boeing in 2002.
Mike favorite past times were fishing, especially for bass and catfish, boating and camping. He completed his private pilot's license when he was stationed at Scott AFB in Illinois. Mike had talents for the arts, loving photography, drawing and painting. He was musically inclined, singing in church and school as a child, and then in the church choir where he met his wife! He entertained his family by playing the banjo and harmonica. Mike was an avid reader of non-fiction books, and even began writing a novel of his own, dreaming of being a published author. He was fond of the cats he had throughout his life. Mike was a life-long learner, was a patient teacher to his children, and instilled a "can do anything" attitude in them. He was a loving dad and grandfather who was generous with hugs! We are broken hearted and he will be missed.
Mike was laid to rest along with his wife, Jean, at Tahoma National Cemetery on June 22, 2022, in section 30C site 346.
Mike was born on 3 October 1942 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Joseph Warren McKnight and Mary Evelyn Jones. He had sister, Rosemary, who passed away in Oregon some years back, and a sister who lives in Italy, Margaret McKnight. After his parents divorced when Mike was 6, he was raised by his grandparents, Methodist Minister Byron A McKnight and Viola Lee Suddath, at their home in Belleville, Arkansas. In his teens, Mike was placed with the Brigham family in Little Rock so that he could attend high school in the city. Mike was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouts, acquiring his boating skills and earning their highest honor, the Quartermaster Award.
Following graduation, Mike enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he spent over twenty years serving in the weather maintenance field, as a technician, supervisor and then manager, with assignments to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, Chanute AFB in Illinois, Fort Sill Army Base in Oklahoma, Bergstrom AFB in Texas, Fairchild AFB in Washington state, and headquarters at Scott AFB in Illinois. He also served in Vietnam. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sargent (SMSgt) in 1980, he worked for Key Tronic in Spokane, Washington as a Technical Services Group Leader for Engineering. In 1985 he completed his Bachelor of Arts in English at Eastern Washington University, majoring in Technical Communication, and in 1987 began his career with Boeing in Seattle, starting as a Technical Writer in Redmond, and then as a Customer Service Maintenance Training Analyst, and finally Organization Advisor and Technical Writer in Auburn. Mike retired from Boeing in 2002.
Mike favorite past times were fishing, especially for bass and catfish, boating and camping. He completed his private pilot's license when he was stationed at Scott AFB in Illinois. Mike had talents for the arts, loving photography, drawing and painting. He was musically inclined, singing in church and school as a child, and then in the church choir where he met his wife! He entertained his family by playing the banjo and harmonica. Mike was an avid reader of non-fiction books, and even began writing a novel of his own, dreaming of being a published author. He was fond of the cats he had throughout his life. Mike was a life-long learner, was a patient teacher to his children, and instilled a "can do anything" attitude in them. He was a loving dad and grandfather who was generous with hugs! We are broken hearted and he will be missed.
Mike was laid to rest along with his wife, Jean, at Tahoma National Cemetery on June 22, 2022, in section 30C site 346.
James Michael McKnight, Mike to those who knew him, passed away at home on Saturday, 14 May 2022, after suffering with mixed vascular dementia/Alzheimer's for several years and finally battling with COVID-19 for 10 days. He was a loving father and grandfather to his four children, daughters Twila D Downing of Pacific and Lisa M Battern of Edmonds, sons Eric W and Alan G McKnight, both of Puyallup, twelve grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Mike was a devoted husband to his wife Jean, who he married at Ramey Air Base in Puerto Rico, on 3 March 1963. She passed away last year on 24 February 2021.
Mike was born on 3 October 1942 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Joseph Warren McKnight and Mary Evelyn Jones. He had sister, Rosemary, who passed away in Oregon some years back, and a sister who lives in Italy, Margaret McKnight. After his parents divorced when Mike was 6, he was raised by his grandparents, Methodist Minister Byron A McKnight and Viola Lee Suddath, at their home in Belleville, Arkansas. In his teens, Mike was placed with the Brigham family in Little Rock so that he could attend high school in the city. Mike was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouts, acquiring his boating skills and earning their highest honor, the Quartermaster Award.
Following graduation, Mike enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he spent over twenty years serving in the weather maintenance field, as a technician, supervisor and then manager, with assignments to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, Chanute AFB in Illinois, Fort Sill Army Base in Oklahoma, Bergstrom AFB in Texas, Fairchild AFB in Washington state, and headquarters at Scott AFB in Illinois. He also served in Vietnam. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sargent (SMSgt) in 1980, he worked for Key Tronic in Spokane, Washington as a Technical Services Group Leader for Engineering. In 1985 he completed his Bachelor of Arts in English at Eastern Washington University, majoring in Technical Communication, and in 1987 began his career with Boeing in Seattle, starting as a Technical Writer in Redmond, and then as a Customer Service Maintenance Training Analyst, and finally Organization Advisor and Technical Writer in Auburn. Mike retired from Boeing in 2002.
Mike favorite past times were fishing, especially for bass and catfish, boating and camping. He completed his private pilot's license when he was stationed at Scott AFB in Illinois. Mike had talents for the arts, loving photography, drawing and painting. He was musically inclined, singing in church and school as a child, and then in the church choir where he met his wife! He entertained his family by playing the banjo and harmonica. Mike was an avid reader of non-fiction books, and even began writing a novel of his own, dreaming of being a published author. He was fond of the cats he had throughout his life. Mike was a life-long learner, was a patient teacher to his children, and instilled a "can do anything" attitude in them. He was a loving dad and grandfather who was generous with hugs! We are broken hearted and he will be missed.
Mike was laid to rest along with his wife, Jean, at Tahoma National Cemetery on June 22, 2022, in section 30C site 346.
Mike was born on 3 October 1942 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Joseph Warren McKnight and Mary Evelyn Jones. He had sister, Rosemary, who passed away in Oregon some years back, and a sister who lives in Italy, Margaret McKnight. After his parents divorced when Mike was 6, he was raised by his grandparents, Methodist Minister Byron A McKnight and Viola Lee Suddath, at their home in Belleville, Arkansas. In his teens, Mike was placed with the Brigham family in Little Rock so that he could attend high school in the city. Mike was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouts, acquiring his boating skills and earning their highest honor, the Quartermaster Award.
Following graduation, Mike enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he spent over twenty years serving in the weather maintenance field, as a technician, supervisor and then manager, with assignments to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, Chanute AFB in Illinois, Fort Sill Army Base in Oklahoma, Bergstrom AFB in Texas, Fairchild AFB in Washington state, and headquarters at Scott AFB in Illinois. He also served in Vietnam. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sargent (SMSgt) in 1980, he worked for Key Tronic in Spokane, Washington as a Technical Services Group Leader for Engineering. In 1985 he completed his Bachelor of Arts in English at Eastern Washington University, majoring in Technical Communication, and in 1987 began his career with Boeing in Seattle, starting as a Technical Writer in Redmond, and then as a Customer Service Maintenance Training Analyst, and finally Organization Advisor and Technical Writer in Auburn. Mike retired from Boeing in 2002.
Mike favorite past times were fishing, especially for bass and catfish, boating and camping. He completed his private pilot's license when he was stationed at Scott AFB in Illinois. Mike had talents for the arts, loving photography, drawing and painting. He was musically inclined, singing in church and school as a child, and then in the church choir where he met his wife! He entertained his family by playing the banjo and harmonica. Mike was an avid reader of non-fiction books, and even began writing a novel of his own, dreaming of being a published author. He was fond of the cats he had throughout his life. Mike was a life-long learner, was a patient teacher to his children, and instilled a "can do anything" attitude in them. He was a loving dad and grandfather who was generous with hugs! We are broken hearted and he will be missed.
Mike was laid to rest along with his wife, Jean, at Tahoma National Cemetery on June 22, 2022, in section 30C site 346.
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