Mary (Moore) McKnight

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3: 5-6

Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Moore McKnight, 77 of 2971 McCaw Rd, Sharon, South Carolina, departed this life on Friday, July 31, 2020.  She was born November 29, 1942 in Sharon, SC. 

               Mary, also known as “Mae”, “May Lizbeth” or “Lib”, was the oldest of six children born to the late Arthur and Ara Bell Moore.  Also preceding her in death is her husband of 49 years, Ernest C McKnight and her sister Dorothy Moore Code. 

               Mary was a woman of strong Christian faith, who accepted Christ at an early age and was a very faithful member of St. Luke 2 Baptist Church.  At St. Luke, Mary served as the past president of the Usher Board, Financial Secretary, Hymn Choir Member, Missionary, Young Adult choir, and all-around supporter of anything that was happening at “Luke”, as she affectionately called her church. She was also a member of the A P & B Society.

               Mary was a 1961 graduate of Jefferson High School, an all-black segregated Rosenwald high school in York, SC.  Mary loved her “Blue Devils”!  She loved to reminisce about her days at Jefferson High School, her friends, and all of the sport activities and accolades that her school won during her day.  Mary was a wealth of historical knowledge and information, as she loved to talk about her time growing up in the deep South.  Some of the times were good, and others not so good. Mary was very truthful and expressive, which helped paint a beautiful picture of life as it was.  After more than 40 years of continued service, Mary retired in 2009 from Honeywell of Clover, formerly known as North Hand Protection.

               To know Mary was to love and adore her.  She NEVER met a stranger; from the head of the kidney transplant team at Wake Forest Baptist, to the custodian at Wal-Mart.  Over the years, she has become known as the “hugger”.  Her hugs were so special.  They could soothe a saddened soul.  Her infectious laugh rang out and let you know that she was in the vicinity. She also loved her hats, and was well-known for the styles and colors.  Mary LOVED her children and her grandchildren to LIFE!!  She has stated on many occasions that the most fun and enjoyable times in her life was while going from place to place and school to school watching her children play sports.  When her son, “Marcey” would take the baseball pitching mound, the voice that rang out above the crowd was Mary.  “Come on baby, throw that strike right down the middle!  Strike him out!” she’d yell. He once had to tell her to NOT stand behind the catcher because she was a distraction.  LOL  She moved to another spot, but you could still her above everyone else!  She followed her daughter, whom she called “Lissa” to most of her volleyball matches.  “Hustle Lissa, hustle!! Go for it!  Come on girls, y’all ain’t trying hard!  You’ve got to go after it! You can primp and prime after you get off the court.  We ain’t got time for that pretty stuff!”  She was the loudest person in the gym, and she didn’t care! She was also a very vocal "Band Mom." This is what support means to kids; having someone in their corner who believes in them, which is a priceless gift. Her support for her grandchildren was more of a quiet love and adoration for all that they were doing.  Mary taught her kids to fight for whatever they want, and never give up. And boy did she provide a great example of a true fighter.

                  Mary was married to the love of her life, Ernest C McKnight, for 49 years; however, they dated and knew each other a total of 59 years.  He preceded her in death by a mere 22 days.  Their love knew no bounds. Mary loved Ernest faithfully and supported him through all of his health issues, as he did the same for her.  When he had a two month stay in rehab earlier this year, Mary was there right by his side.  Only a bout with the flu pulled her away, and then she had to be forcefully told to go home and stay away for a while. The stress and pressure of being a caregiver can be daunting, but she made sure that Ernest was taken care of.  Don’t get it wrong, you would surely draw back a nub if you made any disparaging remark about her husband! She loved and adored him.  As she always said, “I treated him like my baby.  He’s my baby and my boo.”

                   Those who shared joy of Mary’s life and survived to cherish her memory are son, Ernest “Marcey” McKnight of Clover, SC and daughter Melissa “Erlene” McKnight Rouse (Wardell) of Rock Hill, SC; a niece and nephew that she reared as her own, Alphonso and Trena Code of Rock Hill, SC; three grandchildren Jaylen Roseboro of Grover, NC and Jada and Kennedy Rouse of Rock Hill, SC; three sisters, Dora Moore and Mary Long (Marvin) of York, SC, and Vireen Couser of Rock Hill, SC; a brother David Moore (Eveline) of Gastonia, NC; two brothers-in-law, George McKnight and Johnny McKnight of Sharon, SC; three sisters-in-law, Carrie Wade of Silver Springs, MD, Rev. Christine McCoy of Sharon, SC and Dorothy Bryant of Baltimore, MD.  Two dear friends whom she talked to each day, Mr. Fate Thompson and Ms. Guynell “GW” Williams.

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