Knight, Sarah Elizabeth

Sarah Elizabeth Knight, 25, of Moline, Ill., formerly of Marion, died unexpectedly of natural causes on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, in her classroom at Hillcrest Elementary School in East Moline, Ill. Celebration of Life: 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at First Presbyterian Church, Marion, by the Rev. Dr. Howard Chapman. The family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Marion.

Survivors include her parents, Greg and Susan Knight of Marion; two brothers, David Knight and Tyler Knight (fiancee Maureen Pheiffer), both of Chicago; maternal grandparents, George and Mary Harris of Quitman, Ark.; longtime boyfriend, John “J” Staver of Moline; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Dale and Delores Knight; and two uncles, Dan Harris and Doug Knight.

Sarah was born June 13, 1986, the daughter of Gregory and Susan (Harris) Knight, in Iowa City, Iowa. She graduated from Linn-Mar High School in 2004 and from Western Illinois University in 2009. She had just begun working on her master's in education. Sarah was a bilingual kindergarten teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School in East Moline.

Sarah was a bright, spirited, and delightful young woman. She was passionate about teaching and loved her students. Sarah lived life to the fullest. She made us laugh. She was loved.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Sarah's memory may be directed to Greg and Susan Knight for establishing a memorial fund for bilingual education at Hillcrest Elementary School.

Please sign the online guest book for Sarah at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.

Published Sept. 29, 2011, in The Gazette