1932-2022
Genevieve Ellen Coughlin Knight, known to her family and friends as Jeb, passed away peacefully on August 24, 2022 at the age of 90.
Genevieve was born on July 22, 1932 to Francis and Mary Coughlin in the community of Scottsville, New York. The fourth of six children, she grew up in an Irish Catholic family during the Great Depression and subsequent recovery. The family moved often and eventually settled in the borough of Tidioute, PA, where she graduated from high school and went on to work at an apparel manufacturing plant to help support her family in difficult times.
Jeb met her husband, Herman Clyde Knight, when he returned from World War II after bravely serving as a tail gunner in the Pacific. The couple married and set up their household in Tidioute, where Herman started a business in the timber industry and they began raising a family. With a thriving economy based on oil, steel, and timber, Tidioute was a vibrant community with a strong social fabric. There, Genevieve poured herself into raising their five children, involving herself in their many activities and enjoying time with friends and extended family.
When the economic tide turned in the 1970s, Herman and Genevieve moved their family to Venice, FL, where they believed there was greater opportunity for themselves and their children’s futures. They arrived in 1973 and purchased a home in South Venice across from the South Venice boat ferry. Herman eventually started a masonry business, and when their youngest child went to school Genevieve began working for Sarasota County Schools in Food and Nutrition, eventually becoming a manager. As a “lunch lady” she was a favorite of many students, who liked to chat and trade jokes with her as they went through the lines. Many a student who did not have money for lunch found that it was mysteriously paid for, as Genevieve would never allow a child to go hungry.
Genevieve was predeceased by her five siblings, husband Herman, her second child, Barbara Ann Mills, and her son-in-law Jack Larimer. She is survived by her children Carolyn Knight, Chris Knight, Connie Knight Bennett (Gary) and Tom Knight (Tracy). She was a loving grandmother to 10 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, with yet another expected in December.
Services will be held on Tuesday, August 30 at Kays-Ponger Uselton Funeral Home in Venice, with visitation at 1 p.m. and a service immediately following. The family asks that in lieu of sending flowers, please consider a donation to Tidewell Hospice.
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