Obituary for Alice MacKay Crie Knight
ROCKLAND - Alice MacKay Crie Knight, 88, died at home peacefully on a beautiful sunny morning Aug. 1, 2022. Born in her beloved hometown of Rockland, on December 19, 1933 to Ernest Kelley Crie and Mildred Oxton Crie. Alice was educated in Rockland and a proud member of the Class of 1952 at Rockland High School, where her nickname was ‘Mother’. Her yearbook quote, “Has so much to do and so little time to do it in’, fit her to a tee.
Alice attended the University of Maine at Orono, and said many times that she cried all the way to Bangor, because she loved her family and friends and didn’t want to leave home. Once she settled in she loved it and received a BS in Science, Class of 1956, graduating with an extra 32 credits she said, because learning was fun!
Alice began her 33 year career in Rockland as a Home Economics Teacher, first at Rockland High School then RDHS. She loved her students, or “Kids”, as she called them, very much. There have been countless stories from former students of the things Alice did to help them graduate, and of the lifelong cooking and sewing skills that she gave them. One story was of a young man that was in her cooking class and had just finished a pie that he was about to be graded on. He was so proud of it and was holding it with potholders and right before it was to be graded he dropped it, without a word she looked at him and said, “You got an A”.
In 1958, she married Horatio Wilbur Knight in Rockland, where they made their home together until Horatio died in 2005.
With her husband and good friends John and Sylvia Ross, they established Rockland’s first Marina, The Maine Deck Marina & Restaurant where she baked all the desserts and was known for her famous ‘Wharf Cake’. It was located on the site of the former Black Pearl Restaurant. In 1967, the Knights purchased the Perry Coal Company on Lermond’s Cove, next to the Maine State Ferry Terminal. This became Knight Marine Service which is currently celebrating its 55th year in business.
Besides her family and friends, Alice was most proud of her heritage and community. She was awarded the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce Community Person of the Year in 2010. The Maine Lobster Festival was her greatest volunteer passion, Alice was the Parade Grand Marshal in 2007. She held many hats on the Board of Directors for over 40 years, and always bragged that she never missed a meeting. She created the Maine Craft Tent at the Festival in 1971, without much support, but insisted it would be a hit, and of course it was. Over the years all of her family joined her passion for the Festival, and people often commented that for our family it was just like Christmas.
Alice was a founding member of the Rockland Historical Society, The Shore Village Society, and Rockland “Share The Pride”. Together with her friend, Brian Harden, she edited the Shore Village Story and Shore Village Album, which were about the history of Rockland, filled with photos taken by Alice’s Great Grandmother photographer Ida Shepard Crie. Together with her sister Celia, they donated over 700 glass negative photos taken by Ida to the Historical Society, which is a visual history of Rockland. She was instrumental in the 1976 Bicentennial celebration in Rockland, complete with being in charge of the Ball held at the Samoset.
Another of Alice’s lifelong priorities were the weekly ‘get togethers’ with her friends in a group they called “Club”. They all made time for each other and never lost touch. She was a member of her sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, serving as Empress. There are many other organizations that Alice touched over the years, and she was proud to be part of each one.
Predeceased by her husband, Alice is survived by her children, Celia Crie Knight and her partner Chris Oliver of Rockland, Christopher Crie ‘Sy’ Knight, Sr. and his wife Alexandra of Owls Head; a step-son Charles Knight and his wife Cathy of Birmingham, AL; her sister Celia Crie Perry of Rockland; Trudy Black, who came to live with the Knight family when she was 15 years old, and cared for Alice until her last day; her grandchildren, Erik Miles MacMillan and his wife Skye, Christopher Crie Knight, Jr., Phinn Horatio Joseph Oliver, Bella Crie Knight, Summer Gray Knight; her step-grandchildren, Chris Knight and his wife Julie, Casey Knight Bass and her husband Patrick; her great-granddaughter, Isla Jade MacMillan; and step-great-grandchildren, Eleanor Knight, Beatrice Knight, Connor Bass, and Hannah Joy Bass; her cousins, Robert Oxton and his wife Judy, Sharon Lombardo and her husband Jimmy; as well as the crew at Knight Marine Service, and many friends.
Family and friends are invited to visit from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Monday, August 15, 2022 at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland, where a celebration of her life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. A celebration of “All things Alice” will be held at the Rockland Golf Club’s Restaurant, Mulligan’s, directly following the service until 3pm. Private interment will be held at a later date.
While flowers are gratefully accepted, donations in Alice’s Memory may be made to her beloved Maine Lobster Festival, P.O. Box 552, Rockland, Maine 04841.
Alice attended the University of Maine at Orono, and said many times that she cried all the way to Bangor, because she loved her family and friends and didn’t want to leave home. Once she settled in she loved it and received a BS in Science, Class of 1956, graduating with an extra 32 credits she said, because learning was fun!
Alice began her 33 year career in Rockland as a Home Economics Teacher, first at Rockland High School then RDHS. She loved her students, or “Kids”, as she called them, very much. There have been countless stories from former students of the things Alice did to help them graduate, and of the lifelong cooking and sewing skills that she gave them. One story was of a young man that was in her cooking class and had just finished a pie that he was about to be graded on. He was so proud of it and was holding it with potholders and right before it was to be graded he dropped it, without a word she looked at him and said, “You got an A”.
In 1958, she married Horatio Wilbur Knight in Rockland, where they made their home together until Horatio died in 2005.
With her husband and good friends John and Sylvia Ross, they established Rockland’s first Marina, The Maine Deck Marina & Restaurant where she baked all the desserts and was known for her famous ‘Wharf Cake’. It was located on the site of the former Black Pearl Restaurant. In 1967, the Knights purchased the Perry Coal Company on Lermond’s Cove, next to the Maine State Ferry Terminal. This became Knight Marine Service which is currently celebrating its 55th year in business.
Besides her family and friends, Alice was most proud of her heritage and community. She was awarded the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce Community Person of the Year in 2010. The Maine Lobster Festival was her greatest volunteer passion, Alice was the Parade Grand Marshal in 2007. She held many hats on the Board of Directors for over 40 years, and always bragged that she never missed a meeting. She created the Maine Craft Tent at the Festival in 1971, without much support, but insisted it would be a hit, and of course it was. Over the years all of her family joined her passion for the Festival, and people often commented that for our family it was just like Christmas.
Alice was a founding member of the Rockland Historical Society, The Shore Village Society, and Rockland “Share The Pride”. Together with her friend, Brian Harden, she edited the Shore Village Story and Shore Village Album, which were about the history of Rockland, filled with photos taken by Alice’s Great Grandmother photographer Ida Shepard Crie. Together with her sister Celia, they donated over 700 glass negative photos taken by Ida to the Historical Society, which is a visual history of Rockland. She was instrumental in the 1976 Bicentennial celebration in Rockland, complete with being in charge of the Ball held at the Samoset.
Another of Alice’s lifelong priorities were the weekly ‘get togethers’ with her friends in a group they called “Club”. They all made time for each other and never lost touch. She was a member of her sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, serving as Empress. There are many other organizations that Alice touched over the years, and she was proud to be part of each one.
Predeceased by her husband, Alice is survived by her children, Celia Crie Knight and her partner Chris Oliver of Rockland, Christopher Crie ‘Sy’ Knight, Sr. and his wife Alexandra of Owls Head; a step-son Charles Knight and his wife Cathy of Birmingham, AL; her sister Celia Crie Perry of Rockland; Trudy Black, who came to live with the Knight family when she was 15 years old, and cared for Alice until her last day; her grandchildren, Erik Miles MacMillan and his wife Skye, Christopher Crie Knight, Jr., Phinn Horatio Joseph Oliver, Bella Crie Knight, Summer Gray Knight; her step-grandchildren, Chris Knight and his wife Julie, Casey Knight Bass and her husband Patrick; her great-granddaughter, Isla Jade MacMillan; and step-great-grandchildren, Eleanor Knight, Beatrice Knight, Connor Bass, and Hannah Joy Bass; her cousins, Robert Oxton and his wife Judy, Sharon Lombardo and her husband Jimmy; as well as the crew at Knight Marine Service, and many friends.
Family and friends are invited to visit from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Monday, August 15, 2022 at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland, where a celebration of her life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. A celebration of “All things Alice” will be held at the Rockland Golf Club’s Restaurant, Mulligan’s, directly following the service until 3pm. Private interment will be held at a later date.
While flowers are gratefully accepted, donations in Alice’s Memory may be made to her beloved Maine Lobster Festival, P.O. Box 552, Rockland, Maine 04841.