Gerald Alexander Knight

Gerald A. Knight, 82, of Kershaw, South Carolina, passed away on Monday, September 7, 2026, leaving behind a family who will forever be shaped by the life he lived, the love he gave, the faith he shared, and the example he set.

Gerald was born April 11, 1944, the son of the late Woodrow Knight and Virda Knight Horton. He grew up in Flat Creek, South Carolina, and graduated from Flat Creek High School in May 1962.

The very next day after graduating from high school, Gerald left home to begin his service in the United States Air Force. He proudly served his country from 1962 to 1966 as an Air Traffic Controller, including assignments in Mobile, Alabama, and Birkenfeld, Germany, where he served with the 615th Squadron. He was one of three out of a class of 18 who graduated from Aircraft Control & Warning Operator technical school at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. While stationed in Germany, he also worked in connection with the Börfink underground command center, which was newly established during the time he was there. He was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force with the rank of Sergeant.

On November 6, 1966, Gerald married the love of his life, Joyce Knight. Together, they built a life, a home, and a family that remained at the very center of Gerald's world for nearly 60 years.

Gerald worked for Springs Industries before beginning his career with DuPont, where he worked in BCF Spinning and later served as an Employee Personnel Assistant (EPA), the position from which he retired. He also worked for Lancaster Recovery Center (LRC). Retirement did not mean sitting still for Gerald. He spent part of his retirement working alongside his brother, Ronnie Knight, in construction.

Although Gerald was born on April 11, 1944, he often said that he had another birthday—September 10, 1982.

That was the day Gerald made the decision to change the direction of his life. On the very next day, September 11, 1982, he entered treatment for alcoholism through Alcoholics Anonymous and, in the course of that process, surrendered his life completely to Jesus Christ at Lancaster Recovery Center.

Gerald was an all-or-nothing kind of man, and his faith was no exception.

When he gave his life to Christ, he gave Him everything. Gerald became a devoted student of God's Word. He read the entire Bible many times, memorized Scripture, and faithfully spent time each day alone with the Lord. His Christianity was never something he reserved for Sunday mornings. It became the foundation of the way he lived the rest of his life.

And Gerald wanted everyone else to know the Jesus who had changed him.

He shared the Gospel whenever he had the opportunity—and sometimes when others might not have considered it the most comfortable opportunity. If Gerald heard that someone was seriously ill or possibly nearing the end of life, you best better believe he was going to ask the hard questions. He wanted to know whether that person was ready to die and whether they knew where they would spend eternity.

Gerald did not mince words when eternity was at stake.

Having experienced addiction and recovery himself, Gerald also became a counselor to others battling alcohol and drug addiction. He was particularly suited to that work because he did not speak to people merely from a textbook or a classroom. He had been there. He understood the battle, the consequences, the shame, the struggle, and the possibility of a changed life. His own story allowed him to meet people where they were while pointing them toward a different way forward.

Gerald was also an extremely generous man, although he never needed recognition for it. Over the years, he developed a practice of sending what he called “a piece of money” tucked inside a card to people throughout the community who had experienced a death, sickness, hardship, or simply had a need.

Even during the years when his health prevented him from attending church as he once had, he faithfully continued to send his offering.

Generosity to Gerald was not something to talk about; it was simply something you did.

At the same time, he held fiercely to his independence. When the day came that he needed others to help him with things he once did himself, he insisted on paying them immediately. Anyone brave enough to refuse his money was likely to hear a quick and emphatic, “I’m not a bum!”

That determination was Gerald through and through.

He believed in standing up for what was right, even when he was the only one standing. His family watched him do it many times. Gerald was never a bystander in life. If something was wrong, somebody was going to hear about it.

Over the years, his letters of concern made their way to everyone from the White House over foreign policy to the makers of Phillips Beanie Weenies because, in his estimation, the beans were too dry—and quite a few people and organizations in between.

If Gerald Knight had an opinion, chances were good you were going to know it.

But underneath that strong will was an enormous heart.

Gerald was small in stature, but to his family, he had the biggest shoulders of any man they had ever known. He was a man's man who willingly carried the weight of countless burdens so that his wife, his girls, and his family would not have to carry them.

He was a fierce protector.

Gerald would fight for you or with you—it was your choice.

And if someone tried to hurt a person he loved, there he would be: the little man with the big heart, standing in the gap with more than enough passion and plenty to say. He did not back down easily, especially when his family was involved. He would not go gently into that good night.

Yet the same man who could stand his ground with such fierceness was also a true gentleman.

He believed a man should buy flowers for his lady. He never forgot a birthday. He chose cards carefully, but what Hallmark printed inside was never enough. Gerald always added his own words, and those handwritten messages inevitably meant far more than anything the card company could have written.

Of all the roles Gerald held during his lifetime—Airman, Sergeant, employee, counselor, coworker, brother, friend, and servant of Christ—none mattered more to him than husband, Daddy and Papa.

Gerald is survived by his beloved wife, Joyce Knight, with whom he shared nearly 60 years of marriage; his daughter Carrie Twitty and her husband, Danny Twitty, and their children, Erin Twitty and her husband, Charlie Harned; Daniel Twitty; and Elin Twitty; and his daughter Bobbie Faulkenberry, and her sons, Luke Faulkenberry and his wife, Lyndsey; and Jake Faulkenberry.

He was also eagerly awaiting the arrival of his great-granddaughter, Cora Mae Faulkenberry. He also leaves behind many special nieces and nephews.

Gerald was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Chad Faulkenberry; his granddaughter, Alexandria Faulkenberry; his sister, Peggy; and his brothers, Wade, Charles and Ronnie.

There are men who move through life quietly, and there are men who leave an unmistakable imprint wherever they go.

Gerald Knight was the latter.

He gave when someone was hurting. He spoke when something needed saying. He stood when it would have been easier to sit down. He protected the people entrusted to him. He loved his wife faithfully. He loved his girls fiercely. He carried his family on shoulders that always seemed much bigger than the man himself.

And most importantly, Gerald knew that the greatest change in his life did not come from his own strength. It came when he surrendered that life to Jesus Christ on September 10, 1982. From that day forward, he wanted other people to know that the same grace that had found him was available to them too.

When the people who loved Gerald tell his stories in the years ahead—and there will be many—they will laugh. They will cry. They will repeat the things he said. They will remember the cards, the flowers, the “piece of money,” the letters, the Scripture, his stubborn independence, and that unmistakable voice telling somebody exactly what he thought.

His family will remember Daddy. His grandchildren will remember Papa.

The family will receive friends on Friday, September 11, 2026, in the sanctuary of Pleasant Plain Baptist Church, Kershaw, S.C. from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The funeral service to celebrate Gerald’s life will be held immediately following the visitation in the church sanctuary beginning at 4:00 p.m. The Revs. Todd Montgomery and Michael Anderson will officiate.

The burial will follow in the church cemetery.

When Gerald Knight loved you, you knew it. When he stood beside you, you never had to wonder if you were standing alone. And when he found something worth giving his life to—his family, his convictions, and ultimately his Savior—he gave it his all.