Dorothy Mae “Dottie” French Knight, 97, passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning of October 6, 2024, at Davie Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Mocksville, N.C. She was born December 15, 1926, in Campo, Baca County, Colo., to James M. and Emma Pearl Miller French.
Dottie grew up in the “Dust Bowl” of southeastern Colorado during the Great Depression. Her mother passed away when she was less than two years of age, and at the age of 12, her beloved father, who was a farmer and rural mail carrier, suddenly died. At that time, she went to live with her paternal grandmother in Kansas. She had three siblings.
She was an early graduate of Liberal High School at the age of 15, and then graduated from a local business college. While working as a secretary on the Liberal Army Air Base, she met and married her husband of 65 years, Jennings E. “Jenks” Knight, a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. They were married on March 10, 1944. After the war ended, Dottie and Jenks moved back to his home state of North Carolina, where they had three children.
Jenks was a pharmacist, and opened the first drugstores in both Yadkinville and Jonesville in Yadkin County in the early 1950s. Dottie often worked with and assisted him in the operation of the stores. Later, she was employed as a clerical secretary for the Town of Jonesville and as a middle school and elementary school secretary in Mooresville, N.C. She worked at both N. F. Woods Middle School and South Elementary School. She was a member of Central United Methodist Church in Mooresville.
Her husband predeceased her in January of 2009.
She is survived by three children, Virginia “Ginny” K. Pickett (Robert) of Jamestown, N.C., Jennings E. “Jay” Knight Jr. of Indian Trail, N.C.; and James D. “Jim” Knight of Winston-Salem, N.C. Her grandchildren are Robert “Rob” L. Pickett III of Jamestown, N.C., and David J. Pickett (Michelle) of Raleigh, N.C. Great-grandchildren are Emma, Will and Kate Pickett of Raleigh.
The family would like to thank Ms. Betty Jones of Mooresville, Dottie’s long-term caregiver for the past twelve years, as well as the staffs at Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, Statesville, and Davie Nursing & Rehab Center, Mocksville. A special thanks also to all of Dottie’s good friends and caring neighbors during her 60 years living on Cedar Street in Mooresville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be made in Dottie’s name online to Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, 2347 Simonton Road, Statesville, NC 28625.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, at Cavin-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory, 494 E. Plaza Drive, Mooresville, NC, with a reception following the service.
Cavin-Cook Funeral Home, Mooresville, is serving the Knight family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.