Joseph Mitchell Knight Jr.'s Obituary
Joseph Mitchell Knight, Jr., 91, died on April 15, 2019, at his home in Belleair Bluffs, Fla.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Harriet (Getzen) Knight; four children, Mitchell Hart Knight, Ann (Knight) Hammock, James Parrish Knight, Gayle (Knight) Colman; and four grandchildren.
Joe was born on December 5, 1927, in Elfers, Fla. He was the son of Joe Knight, Sr., and Rosaline (Parrish) Knight. His paternal grandfather, Peter O. Knight, was an early Tampa businessman, lawyer and civic leader who moved to Tampa around 1890. Crawford Parris, Joe's maternal grandfather, came to Florida under the U.S. Armed Occupation Act of 1842, which was enacted to encourage settlers to populate the Florida peninsula.
Joe attended local schools and graduated from The Florida Military Academy in 1945. After graduation, he enrolled in the U.S. Army. He served in Korea for 18 months in the infantry and was discharged in 1948.
After his service in the Army, Joe attended The University of Florida. He graduated in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture. Throughout his life, Joe remained a loyal fan and supporter of Florida collegiate sports, especially its football team, “the Gators”.
After college, Joe joined his brother, Peter, in operating Sans Souci Groves in Elfers, Fla. When the grove was sold in the late 1970s, Joe turned his passion and talent for antique furniture restoration into Elf Antiques located at Indian Rocks Beach.
His artistic skills and talent, along with his desire to preserve the awareness of West Florida history for future generations, led Joe to assist in the curation of collections of citrus shipping-crate labels used by orange growers prior to World War II. His curation skills can be seen in shipping label collections found in the Museum of Florida History and the Pinellas County Heritage Village.
A lifelong joy in fishing generated beautiful memories, creative wooden fish carvings and deep friendships that remain forever in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made to the Suncoast Hospice or the Salvation Army.
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