Vera Knighton

KNIGHTON, Vera

Vera was born December 21, 1922, in Jasper, Florida. Her father was Walter Smith, and her mother was Florence Miller Smith. She was the middle child of nine children. She grew up on a farm and attended Hamilton County schools. She enjoyed sports in school and liked playing basketball most.

The family worked together on the farm; sometimes her father had to leave home to provide for his family. In those times, her mom held the family together. Vera was always the designated cook for the family.

When she was eighteen, Vera eloped with Eli Whitney Knighton. They were married for twenty-five years when Whitney passed away.

While she had several different occupations, she loved being a homemaker. Her life revolved around her six children: James Edward (Eddy), Eli Norman (Norm), Raymond Lamar (Ray), Katherine Elizabeth (Kathy), Eli Whitney Jr. (Junior) and Robert LaRue (Bobby). Two of Vera’s children preceded her in death: Junior and Kathy.

All who knew her loved and respected her. She became the matriarch of her extended family. She took care of her father, her brother Leonard, and her sister Retha in their final days on Earth.

Vera was generous to a fault. No one was ever turned away from her door or her table. The coffee was always on, and folks loved stopping by for a neighborly visit. And when she was cooking collards, field peas, turnip greens, okra, and cornbread, there was virtually a line outside her door for a plate! She would travel near and far to find her favorite Luzianne Coffee.

In the last few years, Vera had Alzheimer’s, a disease that robbed her of her ability to think, speak, eat, and drink. She passed away peacefully at The Tuscany Hospice House.