In Memory

Mary Isabel Knight: 1934-2024

“As the ocean meets the shore, we will meet again.”

Mary Isabel Knight of Effingham, NH died at age 90 on September 20, 2024. She was born on February 16, 1934 in South Royalton, Vermont; her parents were Edward Llewellyn Knight and Elsie Mary Beaton Knight.

Growing up in the Green Mountains alongside the White River, she explored and played in the meadows and hills. She developed her creativity with art and piano lessons.

After graduating from South Royalton High School in 1952, where she played piano in the dance band, Mary attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956, then married and moved to Connecticut. While a resident of Wolcott, Connecticut, she raised her four children to appreciate nature and the arts. She earned a master’s degree from Western Connecticut State University. For many years, she taught vocal music in elementary schools in Thomaston and Waterbury, Connecticut. Mary was especially proud of teaching her students to sing the iconic folk song “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie. She later moved to Watertown, Connecticut. In the mid-1990s, she retired to Effingham, New Hampshire.

At her retirement home surrounded by the forest, Mary welcomed the varied wildlife that visited her yard and created a miniature pond for koi fish. She enjoyed the company of her beloved cats, playing classical and ragtime music on the piano, gardening, watercolor painting, and traveling. She honored her roots with visits to Vermont and to the cottage built by her father in York Beach, Maine.

Following a prolonged illness, Mary died on September 20, 2024 at Hunt Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Danvers, Massachusetts. In keeping with her wishes, her ashes were scattered at sea on December 4, 2024, on a high tide southwest of White Island, Isle of Shoals, NH.

Her family includes her sisters Ann H. Knight and Phyllis L. Knight (1931-2022); her children Janet Sanford, Martha Davidson, Jonathan K. Davidson, and Lynn Knight (1970-2024); two grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

For those who wish to honor her legacy – wait until the moon is full, take a walk by the water, listen for bird calls, and look up at the stars.

The Cremation Society of New Hampshire assisted the family with arrangements. To view an online memorial, leave a message of condolence, or for more information, please visit www.csnh.com.