Harry Fletcher Knight Jr., 86
PORTLAND -- Harry Fletcher Knight Jr. (Fletch), 86, of Portland, died peacefully on May 14, 2011, at Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough, with his family at his side.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Jean; daughter Judy and husband Al Rank of Milwaukee, Wis., daughter Lyn McElwee and husband Michael of McCormick, S.C., daughter Janice and husband Dale Rauch of Ashland, Mass., daughter Nancy Morrison and husband Will of Salisbury, Md., and son Donald and wife Kim Thorpe of Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He also leaves eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Fletch was born on Sept. 5, 1924, in Cambridge, Mass., to Harry Fletcher Knight Sr. and Sybil Bailey. He attended Huntington School for Boys in Boston and Princeton University, graduating in 1946 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943, serving during WWII and the Korean War.
Fletch met Jean Garfield in 1945 at her father's church in Medford, Mass., and they married on Sept. 25, 1948. Over the years, they lived in six states and 11 different homes.
Fletch's engineering career included work at Arthur D. Little, A.M. Kinney and PEDCO followed by time as a private consultant. In 1986, Fletch and Jean retired to Yarmouth.
Fletch and Jean's family includes four daughters and a son. He taught them the value of hard work, education and persistence. His intellectual curiosity introduced them to all manner of interesting topics and ideas. He was very much a problem-solver and that, along with his love of popcorn and pizza, rubbed off on his children.
Summers always meant visiting Bustins, a small island in Casco Bay. During their courtship Jean introduced Fletch to the unique charm and challenges of island life. He took to it like a duck to water despite rarely stepping in the ocean. Over the
Harry Fletcher
Knight Jr.
years it became a tradition, which continues today, for his children, their kids and friends to migrate back to the island from distant locales every summer to be together as a family.
Church and faith were a major part of Fletch's life. Fletch served in many roles in his churches over the years including leading worship and guiding others. He officiated at the weddings of his daughters Lyn and Nancy as well as at the wedding of Carol, who over the years had become like another daughter to him. Fletch's greatest gift was as a spiritual teacher and mentor.
For those who know and love Fletch he will always be remembered as a strong, honorable man who dearly loved his family, church and country. We will miss his smiling face, and when we think of him we'll hear his happy voice when asked, 'How are you today, Fletch?'...'Bright eyed and bushy tailed!'
Visiting hours will be held at Independent Death Care of Maine, 660 Brighton Ave., Portland, on Wednesday, May 18, from 5-7 p.m., with a service immediately following. A private burial will take place on Thursday morning at South Freeport Cemetery where he will be laid to rest with full military honors.
Fletch's family would like to sincerely thank Hospice of Southern Maine and Maine Veterans' Home in Scarborough for the tender, compassionate and respectful care they provided over the last months of his life.
The family requests that
in lieu of flowers memorial
donations be made to:
Hospice of Southern Maine
180 U.S. Route 1
Scarborough, Maine 04074
or Maine Veterans Home
290 U.S. Route 1
Scarborough, Maine 04074
Published by Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram on May 16, 2011.