Eric Royl Knight, 63, of California, MD passed away November 2, 2021 at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown, MD.
He was born on January 30, 1958 in Oelwein, Iowa to the late James Knight and Maryanne Lehs Knight.
He is a 1976 graduate of Cedar Falls High School. He joined the Army National Guard soon after and earned the rank of Sergeant First Class after 23 years in the service. In 1983 Eric married his college sweetheart Nancy Louise Klauer and graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in computer science. He was employed for 25 years, most recently as a dedicated and skilled Air Speed Blackbelt for the Department of Defense at Patuxent River Naval Air Station until his retirement in April 2021. In addition to being a computer expert, he was also very handy and could fix almost anything. Eric enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons, camping, tree husbandry, and being a disciple of the Lord. He and his wife enjoyed taking trips in their RV to Harpers Ferry, WV and King George, VA. Most recently they had taken a Disney trip with their daughter, Catherine and her husband, Daniel, to celebrate her recent graduation from Veterinary School. He enjoyed reaching out to people and bringing them to the Lord. He developed an outreach program in the trailer park communities which grew exponentially. He loved his family and spent hours at a time talking to them on the phone on a regular basis.
In addition to his mother Maryanne and beloved wife, Nancy, Eric is also survived by his children: Sarah Christen Knight of Prairie du Chien, WI, Rebecca Lynn Johnson (Colin) of Brunswick, MD, and Catherine Ellen Louise Knight-Mehaffey (Daniel) of Leonardtown, MD; his brothers, Steven Knight (Diane) of Yankton, SD and Daniel Knight (Stacy) of Decorah, IA; his grandchildren, Zoe Fae and Brooke Ember Johnson; and extended family and friends.
Family will receive friends on Thursday, November 11, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with a Funeral Service celebrated by Pastor Jay Patterson at 1:00 p.m., at Our Father’s House, 45020 Patuxent Beach Road, California, MD 20619. Interment will be held at a later date at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Cheltenham, MD.
Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com. Eric’s family welcomes both flowers and donations to the Hollywood Rescue Squad (hvrs.org) and Maryland Troopers (mdtroopers.org).
Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.
