“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)
CHARLOTTE — Confident of her personal salvation through Jesus Christ attained at an early age, we are assured that Luna Peahuff Knight slipped away from her earthly body and directly into the presence of The Lord on Jan. 26, three months shy of her 100th birthday.
Mrs. Knight was born April 27, 1921 in Greenville County, South Carolina, the second youngest of 13 children of George Washington Peahuff and Tempa (“Tempi”) Elizabeth Slatton Peahuff.
She was educated in the Greenville County schools and graduated Greenville Bible College. In her late teens, she traveled every Saturday afternoon from the family farm in the countryside near Greenville to Spartanburg to play guitar on the weekly radio gospel music program hosted by the legendary Arthur Smith and his “Carolina Crackerjacks” who were just starting out on their careers.
She moved to Rockingham in the late 1940s as a young woman after marrying the love of her life, Roy Madison Knight. In Rockingham, she and her husband worked diligently for J.P. Stevens in the textile manufacturing industry, and, because of their expertise, were asked to transfer temporarily to South Carolina for the company to assist in the startup of several new mills.
In 1962, Mrs. Knight sought a new career after becoming a certified medical technologist and worked at hospitals in Richmond and Scotland counties.
Mrs. Knight was a faithful member of the Pine Grove and Pee Dee Baptist churches, serving as a longtime organist and pianist, Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader until health conditions necessitated a move in 2008 to Harrisburg, to Carillon Assisted Living, now Elmcroft. Even then, as testimony to her deep and abiding faith and despite the onset of dementia, Mrs. Knight continued to play the piano for worship services by local church groups at Carillon/Elmcroft, remembering old-time hymns perfectly and blessing and delighting the community with her musical ability.
A highlight of her life was a several-weeks-long trip to Indonesia in 1970 to visit her niece, Margaret Stringer, who was serving as a missionary there.
Until COVID restrictions were imposed at various levels in her community, Mrs. Knight enjoyed outings with Elmcroft groups and any opportunity to enjoy a good hot dog “all the way” and to be out of doors enjoying fresh air and sunshine. She loved the Bible, cats and anything strawberry.
In addition to her parents and siblings, Mrs. Knight was predeceased by her husband Roy and by her daughter Patricia Ann Knight Davidson of Rockingham.
She is survived by her devoted son George and his wife, her dear daughter-in-law Constance of Charlotte; her beloved niece, Margaret Stringer of Taylors, South Carolina; her step-grandchildren, Preston Brooks Fuller (and fiancée Casey Horvitz) of Durham, and Sarah Fuller Cromer (and husband Chip) of Charlotte; and her late daughter’s adult children, H.T. Davidson and Terry Ann Davidson Craven, both of Rockingham.
A graveside service, private for the immediate family only, will be conducted Friday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. at Richmond County Memorial Park in Rockingham. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association of Western North Carolina, 4600 Park Road, Suite 250, Charlotte, N.C., 28209; www.alz.org/northcarolina.
Watson-King Funeral Home of Rockingham is serving the family.
