Patrick Joseph Knight

After a nearly three-year battle with cancer, Pat Knight slipped away peacefully at home on October 30th, 2025. In his 71 years, he was a positive and steady force for the Milwaukee community - through his profession, his family, his friendships, and countless lives he touched along the way.

Pat was raised in a traditional, large Irish Catholic family, but at his core he was devoutly humanist. He believed deeply in the inherent welfare, dignity, and potential of all people regardless of their background, beliefs, or choices. This made Pat a brilliant lawyer, but more importantly an incredibly decent and empathetic human being.

The youngest of 6 children, Pat grew up in East Chicago, IN where he met his beautiful bride Tricia at the ripe age of 16. An unlikely pair, Pat spent much of his younger days having "fun" while Tricia climbed the academic ladder. While opposite in many ways, Tricia and Pat balanced each other in an indescribable, preternatural type of way. They made each other better people, and respected each other as partners, parents, and professionals.

Pat was a regular on school field trips and spent way too much time in ice rinks shuffling Kara and Brendan to figure skating and hockey. He was a true equal to Tricia and respected her career as much - if not more - than his own. When Tricia was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer in late 2021, Pat transformed into the most devoted caregiver and epitomized true, selfless love - even while his own heart was undoubtedly breaking. The silver lining in Pat's passing is that he can finally be reunited with the love of his life and his beloved dogs Sully and Rory.

Pat spent the first ten years of his career as an Assistant State Public Defender before moving to Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, where he became a partner and spent the next 35 years practicing white collar crime and health care fraud law.

Pat's wit was unmatched and only surpassed by his empathy and ability to see the good in all people. He was always honest and told you the truth, even when it was hard to hear - but he had the gift of saying exactly what you needed, when you needed it. He brought a sense of calm into situations, which was always appropriately sprinkled with wit and compassion. His clients trusted him with their lives, and many became his lifelong friends.

Outside of his legal career, Pat devoted two decades to coaching golf and basketball for the Wauwatosa Special Olympics alongside his dear friend, Steve Fronk. He treasured the relationships that he developed with the players and their families, and often said his players taught him more about patience, joy, and perseverance than anyone else ever could.

Pat's absence will be felt deeply - most of all by his family. His children Kara (Rob) and Brendan, and grandchildren Etta, Otto, and Jude are eternally grateful for the colossal fight he put up against cancer. While grieving the loss of Tricia, he undertook countless rounds of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation. He was committed to fighting as hard as he could to get more time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

Stubborn and independent to the end, Pat kept working through most of his cancer battle. Most importantly, he continued his nightly dinners (and Jameson) at the Wisconsin Club until the very end with the help of his son Brendan. Pat is now reunited with the love of his life Tricia, and their late son Kevin. While a brilliant lawyer, coach, friend, brother, uncle, grandpa, and father, Pat's legacy will be the love and life he built with Tricia. He was endlessly proud of her and so grateful to have shared his life by her side.

To ensure he is not scolded by Trish in the afterlife, Pat's funeral mass will be held at Three Holy Women Parish - St. Hedwig's Church, 1702 N. Humboldt Ave. Milwaukee at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 28th, 2025. Visitation will take place at the Church from 9-11 a.m. Immediately following the funeral mass, please join Pat's family for his final celebration at his favorite place - the Wisconsin Club (900 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee). In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Special Olympics Wisconsin Donate ' Special Olympics