Ellsworth W. Knight 1863-1955

KNIGHT, CHILDS, BIXLER, LANDIS, SIEBEN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 11/11/2013 at 01:39:27

E.W. Knight Dies at 92; Rites Friday
E.W. “K.I.” Knight, well-known retired Estherville railroad man, died yesterday at 3:30 p.m. at Holy Family hospital at the age of 92 of complications resulting from his advanced years. He had been in the hospital for two weeks but until taken ill had been in comparatively good health.

Mr. Knight, known by his fellow railroaders and his many friends as “K.I.”, had lived in Estherville and vicinity for approximately 65 years. He came to Estherville in 1892 as a dispatcher for the Rock Island railroad and later was yardmaster and station agent retiring from his post as agent when he was 70 in 1923.

Extremely active even in retirement, Mr. Knight was known for his many hobbies. He was a pioneer in photography as a hobby and possessed many pictures he had taken of early Estherville.

After his retirement he also took up wood and metal working, constructing many items of furniture in his home and fashioning other articles including nut cups and other smaller items. Many of the pieces he fashioned were made from wood of trees he had planted here more than 50 years ago.

Mr. Knight was born Jan.23, 1863 in Allentown, Pa., but claimed Warren, Ill. as his boyhood home and it was there he received his education. While living in Warren he started his lifetime career with railroads by going to work for the Illinois Central there. From Warren he moved to Ellsworth, Minn. where he was a station agent for the Rock Island until moving to Estherville.

Mr. Knight had been a member of the Presbyterian church ever since coming to Estherville and had been a charter member of a Congregational church at Ellsworth.

He was married to Mary Childs, June 30, 1888 at Rockford, Ia.

Survivors include one son, Robert of Estherville, vice president of the Emmet County State bank; three daughters, Mrs. Ron [?] (Genevieve) Bixler of Des Moines, Mrs. Russell (Margaret) Landis of Charleston, Ill., and Mrs. Frank (Agnes) Sieben of Summitt, N.J.; two sisters, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was preceded in his wife in August, 1945 and one daughter, Gertrude K., who lived with him, in the summer of 1952.

Services will be held Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Sandin Funeral home with the Rev. Thomas G. Melton officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill cemetery. Friends may call at the Sandin Funeral Home until time of services. A memorial fund is being established.

Pallbearers will be Peter Geil, Frank Larsen, Ken Meadows, Delbert Beauman, Nolan Boggess and Floyd Horton. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, February 3, 1955)