Edna Knotts

Edna Chloe Knotts

Edna Chloe Knotts was born at home, the sixth child and longest lived of Arnold and Virginia Payne, on October 1st, 1926, in the mountains of Pine Swamp Township, Ashe County, North Carolina, through the assistance of a midwife.

Edna often spoke of her childhood growing up on their small farm in the mountains. Times were hard, but she loved the mountain. Edna proudly bore a scar on her shin from an ax when, as a child, she made herself a pair of stilts. She didn't dare tell Mama for fear of getting in trouble, so she bandaged it herself and went off to play. With her best friend, Tootie Coffee, she fashioned a rope to a tree limb so that they could "fly" by swinging out over the side of the mountain. He would push her and then she would push him. Mama didn't know about this either.

It was in these mountains that Edna and her little brother, Arnold, came to know The Lord. It would be her most precious and enduring relationship-one that she would nurture until her last breath. She was a true Berean. One Sunday, Edna, with Arnold in tow, decided to go down the mountain to the little local church where there was singing but, more importantly, the promise of cookies. They went barefooted and open-hearted as babes in Christ are. They were scolded for not wearing shoes and the next Sunday decided that it was best to wash their feet at the church spigot before they entered. They had no idea of the implication of this act in Christianity.

Edna would eventually leave the mountain, like so many Southerners did, for work. She would eventually settle in Akron with her two young sons, Mack and Harry. It was in Akron that she would meet Hank Knotts, being set up on a blind date by her co-worker from the downtown Five & Dime. They were soon wed, and their son Eddie came along a few years later.

They eventually settled as a family in Newman, a little burg just outside of Massillon. They built their life there going to Newman Baptist Church and then becoming founding members, with several other families, of Calvary Chapel in Massillon. They travelled the world with their brothers and sisters in Christ, being led by their pastor Henry Hudson. They raised their boys in church, laying the foundations from which they could build their own faith-filled lives. "It stuck with two of them ya see, but I just don't know about the third"?

It was in their Newman home that Edna became a beautician. Hank built her a shop onto the front of their house. She did her best, as she would say, with what she was given-"but Honey, sometimes she didn't have much to work with!" She ran a clean shop "and didn't put up with any gossip, see."

Edna began a second career as a Christian school teacher when Hank decided to retire early to Murrells Inlet, SC. She taught kindergarten and had kept in touch with some of her students, only losing touch a few years ago. When Hank passed just a short six years later, Edna came back to Massillon to be near her boys. She would then meet and marry George Groff, leading him to The Lord just a few months before his passing.

Edna had a hobby-or a curse, "she didn't know which"-of golf. She was an exceptional player, walking most of the links until she had her first hip break in her late 80s. She was the running league champ at least six years in a row. She played "an honest game and didn't put up with any filthy talk!" Edna also loved to cook. She would tackle any recipe without fear, often adjusting it over the years to her tastes. She never gave up this pursuit. Unfortunately, it rarely turned out well, and those who loved her figured out ways to politely decline her "baked bads." She told of her first attempt at homemade pizza when her boys were little. She said Hank took one bite, put his piece down, and said, "Well, y'all can eat this if you want to, but it's horrible! We're going out to dinner." She laughed so hard and said, "It was awful!"

Edna lived a God-fearing, straightforward, uncomplicated life. There was no grey area as far as she was concerned, and if she thought there was a problem, you best believe she was going to tell you about it. She once approached a local Canton pastor after one of his sermons with her pocket Bible in tow. She took umbrage with his doctrine, proved to him it wasn't sound right on the spot! Her delivery wasn't always the best, but her intentions were pure.

Edna was built of exceptionally tough stock. She still lived on her own and only gave up driving last year. She walked a mile every day at the park, and in bad weather on her treadmill in her garage. She was ready to go and knew she wasn't long for this world with her deteriorating health condition. She said, "It's The Lord's will, Honey. I know it's going to hurt, but look what Jesus endured for me." The blessed assurance was all she needed. Edna passed quickly in her own home on November 2, 2025, having just gotten ready to attend church.

If we remember Edna for anything, let it be her unwavering faith in the Birth, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of her Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Service Information

Services and arrangements have been provided by Schneeberger-Oser Funeral Home in Canton.

A mausoleum service committal and entombment will be held on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens in Massillon, Ohio.