Myrtle Ruth Bentley McKnight, 96, born Aug. 4, 1912 in Macon, Ga., died Friday, May 22, 2009 at Mercy Medical in Daphne.
The oldest child of James and Jessie Bentley, as a young woman, she loved playing Hawaiian guitar and riding her bicycle on the then recently paved streets of Columbus, Ga., where she spent most of her adult life.
After the tragic death of her father in a 1926 railroad accident, she found work to support her mother and younger brother. She was employed as a bookkeeper, first in Jordan Mill Textile Factory, then St. Francis Hospital, and finally in Oak Manor Nursing Home where she worked into her 80s.
She prided herself on her work ethic, and she joked that she worked and lived longer than most of the patients she served. She married her beloved husband, Porter Lee McKnight, on Christmas Eve in 1937 and he preceded her in death June 11, 1973.
She was a life-long member of Eastern Heights Baptist Church in Columbus, where she and her husband taught Sunday school for over 40 years. She was a Worthy Grand Matron for the Order of the Eastern Star and an active member of the American Business Women’s Association and was selected as ABWA Woman of the Year in 1968. In her later years, she was a resident of Catherine Place in Daphne.
She was respected by all, and those who were fortunate to know and speak with her will always remember her quick wit and profound compassion.
Survivors include a son, Porter Gary McKnight of Fairhope; two grandchildren, Hollace McKnight Brayer of Ontario, Calif., and Porter Marco McKnight of Los Angles; and one great-granddaughter, Eleanore Frances Brayer of Ontario.
Private memorial services will be held in Daphne and Columbus, Ga.
The family requests memorial donations be made to your favorite church or charity.
Cremation arrangements are by Hughes Cremation & Funeral Service, Daphne.
