David Richard Knight, Jr.
January13, 1952 ~ May 30, 2015
David Knight age 63 passed away peacefully in Seattle, WA following a long illness. David was born in Pittsburgh, PA to David R. Knight, Sr. and Grace Schreiber Knight both of whom preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 33 years Terri Dowling, sons David Richard Knight, III (Caitlin) and Ethan Patrick Knight. He also leaves behind his sisters Virginia (Gigi) Grace Sarsfield of Brooklin, Maine, Marina (Stephen) Prucha of Huntsville, Alabama, nephews Colin Patrick Sarsfield, Corey Alan Sarsfield and nieces Ana (Chris) Loden and Elena (Joseph) Williams. David also leaves behind an uncle, cousins and numerous in-laws.
David graduated from Churchill Area High School in 1970. He then attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1974 after completing an internship at Morris Cafritz Memorial Hospital school of Medical Technology in Washington, DC. Following graduation he moved to Burlington, Vermont where he had a successful career in Laboratory Medicine at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont. David enjoyed his life in the Green Mountain state and wholeheartedly pursued his interests in swimming, racquetball, cross-country skiing; snow shoeing, hiking The Long Trail, camping, biking, and sailing his retrofitted Old Town canoe.
David married Vermont native Terri Dowling September 26, 1981 in St. Albans, VT. The couple moved to Seattle, WA where they made their home and together raised two sons over the next 33 years. David parlayed his medical technology experience into a successful career in healthcare information systems spanning 30 years. As manager he had a strong work ethic. He cultivated a collaborative work environment earning him a reputation as a fair minded manager and dedicated client advocate.
David had a remarkable spirit of volunteerism. Throughout his life he gave the gift of time and talent to many local organizations. His most cherished cause was the UCC Outdoor Ministry program. He enjoyed many summers serving as camp counselor and camp director for our youth at both Pilgrim Firs Camp in Washington and N-Sid-Sen Camp (Point of Inspiration) in Idaho. He loved singing camp songs by the fire, reading bedtime stories to his campers and participating in all aspects of camper life from swimming, rafting and field games to art activities and mentoring our youth. Other Seattle organizations David enjoyed volunteering for were: Seattle International Film Festival, Bumbershoot and Folklife Festival. Over the years he also devoted many hours volunteering at Community Lunch each Thursday at Pilgrim UCC in Seattle and volunteer teacher at Prospect UCC Sunday School.
A service of celebration of David’s life is planned for 11:00am on Saturday, August 1st at Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ, 1919 E. Prospect St., Seattle, WA 98112 (206)322-6030. A reception in Fellowship Hall will follow.
Remembrances may be made to the UCC Outdoor Ministry campership program by contacting: Pacific Northwest Conference UCC, 325 N 125th St., Seattle, WA 98133. Make checks payable to PNC-UCC and indicate in the memo “Outdoor Ministries, in memory of David Knight.”
Or you may donate online at http://www.pncucc.org/ Donors should use the “Other” category and fill in the details as described above in the space provided.
Friends and Family are invited to leave remembrances by visiting Barton Family Funeral Service at http://bartonfuneral.com/category/obituaries/
6 Responses to “David Richard Knight, Jr.”
Leave a Reply
Please be respectful. Disrespectful comments will not be published
When you have successfully submitted a comment, look in the space above to see your comment.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
If you do not see your comment, click HERE
We are so glad to have had the opportunity to see Dave last year and share some quality time with him. He could not have been more proud of his sons, more enthralled with his new daughter-in-law nor more filled with love and gratitude to his wonderful, supportive wife. We love you Terri, David, Ethan, Caitlyn and Spotty – I cannot wait to finally be able to hug you all in person. Much love, Jen
David and I liked to tease each other about who had the bigger mountains; his in Washington, or ours in Colorado. Bill and I hiked a beautiful mountain trail last Saturday. This is always a special time to reflect on life and our continual gratitude for the people in it.
This saying was engraved in a boulder at the top of our hike:
Quietly the spirit and beauty of the mountains fill my heart,
I open to the awe and sense of discovery,
I feel free and alive and at peace,
and nearby I hear God saying hello,
Do you want to play?
We know David is at peace and playing in heaven…and well…yes David…your mountains are higher.
Our love, hugs, and prayers go to Terri, David ,Caitlin Ethan, and all the family and friends that meant so much to David.
David and I liked to tease each other about who had the bigger mountains; his in Washington, or ours in Colorado. Bill and I hiked a beautiful mountain trail last Saturday. This is always a special time to reflect on life and our continual gratitude for the people in it.
This saying was engraved in a boulder at the top of our hike:
Quietly the spirit and beauty of the mountains fill my heart,
I open to the awe and sense of discovery,
I feel free and alive and at peace,
and nearby I hear God saying hello,
Do you want to play?
We know David is at peace and playing in heaven…and well…yes David…your mountains are higher.
Our love, hugs, and prayers go to Terri,David,Caitlin, Ethan, and all the family and friends that meant so much to David.
Terri, David, Ethan and Caitlin,
Remember, God gave us memories so we can have roses in winter . . . I pray that your memories of all the good times bring you comfort and knowing that Dave is in a better place helps you find peace. Looking forward to seeing you all.
Much Love Natalie
Dave was a good man and a great neighbor. We miss him and our conversations as he walked the neighborhood with Spotty, the family dog. Every summer when we would have our lawn movies, a neighborhood event, Dave was one of the first people to arrive to help and he stayed until everything was done. We miss him and are fortunate to have known him.
Dave, was a good man, a good father and a loyal and loving partner to Terri. Dave walked the walk. His spirit will not be forgotten.