Kenneth Wayne Knight

Kenneth Wayne Knight, 86, a longtime resident and servant of Madison County, passed away on October 28, 2025. He made his entrance into the world at the family home in Elwood Community on August 31, 1939, to proud parents Edward O’neal and Lille Ozelle (Maness) Knight. Ken progressed into a life of service as he showed authentic kindness and compassion to those around him.

Ken grew up in Madison and Leon counties. After graduating from Centerville High School in 1957, he attended Texas A&M and spent much of his adult life in Marble Falls, TX.

Ken moved to Madisonville, TX a little more than twenty years ago and was quick to make many friends and acquaintances. Not long after his arrival he began serving on the Allphin Cemetery board and helped to look after the hallowed ground for some twenty years as both a board member and president. He was a longtime member of Sand Prairie Baptist Church in Normangee, TX where he and his wife Darlene were married in 2010. When he lived in Marble Falls, TX, Ken was an active member of First Baptist Church where he ran the sound system and drove the bus to pick up children in the community.

According to Ken, he actually had two birthdays. He was born in his family home around midnight on August 31, which spilled over into September 1, 1939, and he was committed to celebrating both days. If there were ever a “people person,” Ken was it. He was compassionate and caring to those around him and was always willing to do what he could to help. Whenever you saw Ken, he typically had a hat on and wore a contagious smile. He had a great welcoming personality that was easily observed, even from a distance.

Ken certainly had his share of passions, which included Donald Trump, genealogy and talking. That’s right, Ken loved to talk, and he was good at it, and he was certain to remember most all the details of whatever story he was sharing. Ken’s greatest love was for his family. He looked forward to seeing them and spending time that he considered precious. The greatest comfort comes in knowing the deep adoration he had for the Lord Jesus Christ. It was this adoration that shaped his treatment of others and equipped him for service to his community. Ken truly loved the Lord and was so proud of how his two daughters carried that over to their families.

Ken is preceded in death by both parents; daughter, Karen Knight Jones and niece, Cristi Michael Autry.

Those left to cherish Ken’s memory are his wife, Darlene (Sulsar) Knight; daughter, Lisa Knight Maynard (Mark); son-in-law, Dan Jones; brother, Troy O’neal Knight (Sally); sister, Frieda Knight Michael; grandchildren, Spencer Green (Erica), Lindsey Jones Detwiler (Sean), Kadan Jones, Victoria Jones Skov (Michael) and Steven Jones; great-grandchildren, Robert Green, Eloise Green, Palmer Green, Noah & Alexander Skov, Daniela Jones, Sadie Rose Detwiler and “one on the way”; nieces, Penni Michael Steger and Kelly Knight Najvar; nephew, Patrick Knight as well as numerous other extended family and loving friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Ken’s memory may be made to the Sand Prairie Baptist Church in Normangee, TX. Mail donations to P.O. Box 100, North Zulch, TX 77872 or go online, Online Giving – Sand Prairie Baptist Church.

A funeral service for Kenneth Knight, officiated by his pastor and friend, Joshua Price will be held in the chapel of the Madisonville Funeral Home on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 11 A.M. and visitation will be held one hour before. Burial will follow in the Allphin Cemetery.

Final arrangements for Kenneth Wayne Knight are under the compassionate care and direction of Madisonville Funeral Home, Madisonville, Texas.