Lou Knight

Mary Lou Hamilton Ashmore Knight, died peacefully at age 86 on November 12, 2024, surrounded by family. She is survived by her husband of 36 years, King Knight, daughter Lisa Ashmore Couch (Brett), grandson Davis Couch (Dalton), and brothers James Hamilton and Marion Hamilton. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clyde and Mary Hamilton, husband Carl Ashmore, brothers Donald Hamilton and John Hamilton, and sister Barbra Hamilton Givens.

Lou was born on December 22, 1937 in Ada, Oklahoma. She graduated from Canton High School in Canton, Mississippi where she met and married her high school sweetheart, Carl Ashmore. The family moved to Birmingham in 1967. After the sudden death of her husband in 1984 after 24 years of marriage, she became the House Mother for Kappa Alpha Order at the University of Alabama for 3 years. She ruled the house with an iron fist, but loved "her boys" and was a surrogate mother to many. She loved football weekends and was seen after many a game on the front row of the band party dancing on a cooler. She always said she was going to write a book about her experience and "change the names to protect the not-so-innocent." After leaving her House Mother post, she married her husband King Knight in 1988, and they were happily married until her death. She and King loved traveling to the mountains and spent so many lovely vacations there. She was a gifted seamstress and in 1993 started Creative Covers, an upholstery business. The business was wildly successful and she had many loyal repeat customers. She never liked reupholstering her own work because "I do such a good job, it's really hard to undo." Her beloved grandson Davis was on the University of the South track team, and after retiring she and King traveled to his meets all over the southeast. The self-appointed team grandmother, she would bake dozens and dozens of cookies and brownies for the team to eat on the bus on the way back to campus after meets. One track team member told her "Your brownies cure my frownies." She was full of energy and laughter and it was contagious. She touched the lives of so many people in so many ways.

A memorial service will be held at Ridout's Valley Chapel in Homewood on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 3:00pm. Visitation will precede the service starting at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Grace Christian Church, 869 Co Rd 52, Helena, AL or The University of the South Track Team: https://new.sewanee.edu/offices/university-offices/support-sewanee/ways-to-give/