Dot Knight (1911-2001)

Austin American-Statesman, Saturday, December 29, 2001

Dorothy Louise Knight, an avid golfer and bridge player, died of pneumonia at St. David's Hospital on December 26. She was 90 years old. Dorothy lived in Austin for 25 years, where she played golf through her 70s and bridge until the end of her life.

After looking over the United States, she selected Austin for its climate and sociable environment. Her decision was born out by her enjoyment of year-round gardening and her many friends.

Dorothy was born in Rockford, Illinois, on May 17, 1911, to Ernest and Maude Stockburger, one of three daughters. As a child and young woman, Dorothy loved to horseback ride, swim, and run track. She trained by running behind the family car. She attended the University of Wisconsin, where she met her first husband, Paul Rahr, and joined the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Her identical twin daughters, Dottie and Ginny, were born in 1933. Dorothy worked as a realtor in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, from 1941 to 1976, always welcoming her clients to their new homes with a homemade chocolate cake.

With her generous spirit, Dorothy collected friends like others gather mementos and traveled widely with her family. Her granddaughters especially remember their trips such as the rubber raft excursion down the Salmon River in Idaho, a two-week driving tour of southern France, and a two-week tour of the British Isles and Ireland. Dorothy loved to entertain her friends and family with delicious home-cooked meals, especially desserts. She is survived by six granddaughters, Amy Merritt-Smith of Lafayette, California; Lynn Merritt of Durham, North Carolina; Sara Patterson of Chicago; Martha Merritt of South Bend, Indiana; Dana Masek of Shoreview, Minnesota; Katie Merritt of Bend. Oregon; and Alex Ivins of Loudon, Tennessee. Dorothy had six great- grandchildren. She was divorced from and predeceased by her first husband and second husband, Bill Knight; her two sisters, Marion Wilborn and Ernestine Obenshain; and her daughters, Dottie in 1970 and Ginnie in 1983. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of choice. Dorothy was a lifelong supporter of Kappa Alpha Theta and the American Cancer Society. Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar, Austin. 452-8811.