Ascutney, VT - Richard E. Knight, 79, died Monday May 20, 2024, at the Village at White River Junction.

He was born June 8, 1944, in Windsor, VT, a son of Ralph M. Knight Jr. and Marie (Dressel) Knight. Rich attended school in Windsor and graduated from Kimball Union Academy. He had a love for athletics and outdoor activities from an early age and continued his studies to become a physical education teacher at Springfield College. While at Springfield, he was on the swim team and broke time records in several events.

Before finishing his master's degree, Rich enlisted in the US Army to serve in the Vietnam War. He started in the Officer's Training Corps but soon found his gentle nature would not allow him to make the calculated decisions of acceptable casualties, so he instead served as enlisted personnel. Rich fell in love with the people and countryside of Vietnam while patrolling Route 1 with the 101st Airborne.

After returning from his military service, he switched career paths. He began working as a correctional officer at the Vermont State Prison in Windsor. Wanting to help the inmates find a better life after release, he became a probation and parole officer. Rich was sincerely interested in rehabilitation of his clients, not punishment.

With no children of his own, Rich was especially close with his nieces and nephews. He found love later in life with his companion, Maggie Giffin, and they lived side by side for many years until his becoming a resident of the Village for the past year. He was also very close with Maggie's sons, Victor, and Vincent, and her two grandsons Gideon and Gavin.

Despite his change in career paths, Rich continued to embrace physical fitness throughout his life. In his younger years, he enjoyed boating and teaching water skiing, but his greatest love was skiing and teaching skiing. He was a PSIA Level 3 certified ski instructor and taught professionally at his beloved Mt. Ascutney for many years. Rich found his greatest joy skiing with his family and friends, taking many trips around New England and out west to ski with family. He not only taught all of his great nieces and nephews to ski, but outfitted them with gear as well.

He is survived by his companion, Maggie Giffin, of Ascutney, VT; brothers, Ralph "Morty" Knight (Carol) of White River Jct., VT, and Russell Knight (Marsha) of Cornish, NH; sister, Christine Greenwood of Rutherfordton, NC, nieces and nephews, Jacqueline Goodwin, Jennifer Knight, Jeffrey Knight, Robert Knight, Thomas Knight, and Nicholas Knight as well as many great nieces and nephews.

Friends may call at the Knight Funeral Home in Windsor, from 1-2 PM on Friday May 31st. A graveside service will follow in the Ascutney Cemetery in Windsor with full Military Honors at 2PM.

Condolences may be expressed to Rich's family in an online guestbook at knightfuneralhomes.com.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Ascutney Outdoors, PO Box 101, Brownsville, VT 05037 or at ascutneyoutdoors.org.