Blanche Knight

Blanche Knight, 92, of Kansas City, MO, and formerly of Marysville, KS, died Saturday, June 28, 2014, at St. Lukes Hospice House in Kansas City. Visitation was Monday, June 30, from Noon until 9:00 p.m. at Kinsley Mortuary in Marysville. A rosary service was held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 1, at St. Gregory's Catholic Church in Marysville followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Burial was in St. Gregory's Catholic Cemetery. Born Blanche Ilene Cooper on Dec. 27, 1921, in Marysville, the youngest of Oliver and Catherine Cooper’s ten children. She was baptized at St. Gregory’s and attended the grade school before moving to Kansas City, MO in 1931. There she attended several grade schools and graduated from Central High School in 1940. Blanche’s first job at age 17 was working as a carhop at Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Drive-In where she worked for Clara Stover, co-founder of Russell Stover Candies. The story of her two years as a carhop was a particular favorite of her grandchildren, as she never forgot the long list of ice cream flavors and they loved to hear her recite them as fast as possible. The more they laughed, the faster she would say them – never missing a beat. In the early 1940’s, Blanche also sold programs for hockey games at the Pla-Mor Ballroom, worked as a receptionist, and was a long distance telephone operator for Southwestern Bell where she eventually worked as an instructor and supervisor. On May 10, 1944, she married Bernard “Barney” Knight at Annunciation Catholic Church, just ten days after his return from 22 months overseas. In 1948, they welcomed their first son, Steven, and the family moved from Kansas City back to Blanche’s hometown of Marysville in 1951. Blanche worked for Dr. Ann Wiegers and later as the Deputy County Clerk at the Marshall County Courthouse. Her second son, Peter, was born in 1964 and two years later, Blanche opened a daycare in her home which she ran for 20 years until her retirement in 1986. Many children from the Marysville area have memories of “Gramma Blanche”, Kool-Aid slushes, bread & butter with sugar, and singing “Joy To The World” (Yes – the Three Dog Night version, complete with Jeremiah The Bullfrog). After retiring, she and Barney loved to travel and she was able to spend more time on her hobbies such as embroidering quilts and genealogy. Before the days of the Internet, Blanche would write letters requesting copies of records and information on Barney’s family and her own. The result was a thorough and complete family history that she compiled into scrapbooks for each of her sons and their children dating back to the early 1800’s. Blanche was a devout Catholic and strong in her faith. She was active in her parish for many years as a member of both the Daughters of Isabella and the St. Gregory’s Altar Society. She said daily rosaries and if she ever told you she was praying for you, you can rest assured that she did so with her whole heart. Survivors include her sons, Steven Knight (Pam), Leawood, KS, and Peter Knight, Buffalo, MN; five grandchildren, Jennifer Lehr (Kevin), Overland Park, KS, Amy Spitaleri (Tom) and Brooke Bonadonna (Michael), all of Lee's Summit, MO, Matthew Knight, Watertown, SD, and Emily Knight, Buffalo, MN. Blanche also leaves six great-grandchildren; Lauren, Leah, and Toni Spitaleri and Mia, Joe Mike, and Sofia Bonadonna. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard "Barney" Knight, in 2006 and her daughter-in-law, Ann Knight in 2012. Memorials are suggested to the St. Gregory's Grade School. Contributions may be sent in care of Kinsley Mortuary, Marysville. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Blanche Knight, please visit our flower store.