Prentice Knight III

1947 - 2025

Prentice L Knight III, age 77, of Scottsville, Kentucky passed away on November 4, 2025 in El Zonte, El Salvador while on vacation with his wife, daughter and son-in-law. Tragically, he drowned while swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Prior to this, he was living his best life.

Prentice was born on November 13, 1947 in Macon, Georgia to the late Prentice L Knight II and Agnes Gay Knight.

Prentice is survived by his wife, Linda Harris Knight. They were married for 57 years, and would have celebrated their 58th anniversary in December. They were high school sweethearts and were together for 61 years. The pair spent a happy life together, enjoying family, friends, service, travel, and new experiences.

Prentice is survived by his two daughters. The eldest, Marla Knight-Dutille and her husband Phil Dutille, live in Scottsville, Kentucky near Prentice and Linda's residence. His youngest, Rachel Knight Flowers, lives in New Jersey with her husband Eric and children Kendall, Dylan and Camryn.

Prentice is also survived by his sisters Susan Edwards (Ralph) and Cynthia Knight. His brother Chris Knight survives him. His brother Paul Knight and his sister Barbara Knight both predeceased Prentice.

Prentice valued education. He graduated from Willingham High School, Macon, Georgia in 1965. He earned his BS and MA in Geography, from the University of Georgia. He earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Illinois.

His first professional job was as a Professor of Geography at the University of Kansas in 1974. Later he taught at Dartmouth College for 9 years. He never lost his love of research, learning and teaching. After a life in academia he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he began a corporate career. These jobs allowed him to travel the world which began his life long passion of exploring the globe. Ultimately, this led to visiting 6 continents and 55 countries.

In 1997, Prentice and Linda moved to Scottsville, Kentucky. There they joined the Franklin Presbyterian Church (FPC) where Prentice was an Elder and was a Sunday School teacher for over 20 years. At FPC, he was a long time Finance Committee Member and was a founding member of The Mustard Seed program. Prentice was concerned about helping others, participating in multiple church disaster recovery trips, Living Waters of the World, Habitat for Humanity of Simpson County, Habitat for Humanity of Mongolia, Camp Habitat, and the Simpson County Literacy Program.

Prentice lived a full life and was always up for adventure. He adored his grandchildren and always looked forward to spending time with them. He loved new experiences, traveling with family and friends, and learning new things. Those who knew him understood he wanted to "live right up until the moment" he died. And he did that.

Countless people grieve his loss. Those who knew him as Husband, Dad, Pop Pop, Brother, Uncle, Nephew, Cousin, or friend continue to miss him deeply. We all cherish his memory.

A Visitation will be held Friday January 16th from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the Cornerstone Fellowship Hall of the Franklin Presbyterian Church, Franklin, Kentucky. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday January 17th at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary of the Franklin Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Franklin Presbyterian Church: https://www.eservicepayments.com/cgi-bin/Vanco_ver3.vps?appver3=wWsk24ZWJSTZKsGd1RMKlg0BDvsSG3VIWQCPJNNxD8upkiY7JlDavDsozUE7KG0nFx2NSo8LdUKGuGuF396vbe0_1X4aaq9Y4e0I8ik1ljiXHubq5Z7ap5JVmPErc4ZeYHCKCZhESjGNQmZ5B-6dxzQ9GoOcwtn-4GKAbZIinTc=&ver=3.