Obituary of Kathleen Jeanne Knight
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Kathleen “Katie” Jeanne Knight, 32, who passed away on Friday, February 26, 2021. Daughter of Christine M. Knight of Glastonbury and the late Eugene C. Knight who passed away in 2003, Katie was born in Worcester, MA, on September 15, 1988. The family moved to Glastonbury, CT, in 1990, and Katie was a life-long resident of the town. Blessed with abundant talents and gifts, Katie maintained a straight A average throughout her elementary and high school career and earned the designation of National Merit Scholar. During her sophomore year of high school, Katie’s enchantment with European culture and history came alive while on tour with her Uncle David in Paris, London, and Dublin. From the time she picked up her first crayon as just a toddler, Katie adored drawing- never between anyone else’s lines but always on a blank piece of paper. In second grade, one of her drawings was chosen for publication in the well-known and respected, Highlights magazine. Her love of the arts was also evident in her participation in the school orchestra from middle school through high school as a violinist, an instrument she began to study in grade four. Throughout her life, Katie’s gift of composition and creative writing was revealed in thoughtful letters on her life views and in the personalized poetry she wrote and gifted to family and friends. A consummate athlete, Katie ardently played defense in travel soccer from fourth grade through eighth and made the freshman soccer team at Glastonbury High School. She learned to play golf at age six by her grandfather’s side, and the two of them along with her dad, enjoyed many outings on golf courses over the years. Katie loved animals, especially cats. If you knew Katie, you knew Mr. Chips (and her more recent addition, Crowley), and you could expect plenty of pictures of them daily, always with hilarious captions and occasionally with them dressed in ridiculous outfits. From the age of ten, Katie dreamed of being a veterinarian, took college courses toward that goal, and worked tirelessly as a Vet Tech volunteering at local veterinarian practices and at shelters for cats as well as for any cats she encountered to improve their quality of life and advocate for their wellbeing. Katie understood suffering, but that is not who she was. Despite, or more accurately through that suffering, she understood love in a way that many people never do. She loved deeply, passionately, and unconditionally, and she went out of her way to express that love every chance she could. If Katie was your fan, she supported you with the fervor of an entire fan club. Katie was passionate about many things in life - literature, music, art, science. She could discuss theory, philosophy, research, and music for hours into the night. She had an innate sense of style and could instantly pull together random clothing items to create a fabulous outfit for herself or anyone who asked. Katie would spontaneously dance with you or draw funny cartoons of Pusheen and quote the Emperor’s New Groove until you both laughed so hard you almost fell over. She constantly wanted to know and experience more of what this world had to offer. Over the past several years, Katie also reconciled her relationship with God and her faith-- which she lost after the untimely death of her father—looking for more than just this earthly world. She did not leap blindly, but in true Katie-fashion, committed fully and with her whole heart. Katie is survived by her mother, Christine Knight and Christine’s companion, Mark Lewis, her maternal grandmother, Barbara Nowacki of Wolcott, the following aunts and uncles: Deborah and David Lemieux of South Carolina, Ellen Knight Kober of Glastonbury, David Knight and Joe Colagrecco of New York, Michael Knight of New Jersey, and cousins Cristin Lemieux Pullis, David Lemieux Jr, Libby Kober, Jason, Alessandra, and Isabelle Colagrecco-Knight, and Celeste and Natalie Pullis, and treasured friends Stephanie Stevens and Nathan Mankus. A special thank you to Kristen Helin, Psy.D. Funeral services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Katie’s name to ActiveMinds.org at support.activeminds.org. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com