Kinght, Joel James
KNIGHT, Jr., Joel James
Joel James Knight, Jr. passed away on October 16, 2023, in Atlanta, at the age of 87. He was born on December 13, 1935, in Atlanta, GA, to Joel Knight, Sr. and Jean Duval Knight. He was a man of faith, high integrity, loyalty, and substance.
Joel is survived by his devoted wife of 67 years, Martha Chandler Knight; his loving daughter, Sue Bentley (Randall); son, Joel Knight, III (Cynthia); granddaughters, Elisabeth Duffy (Dylan) and Hannah Knight; grandson, Randall Bentley, Jr. (Laura); two great-granddaughters, Ansley and Amelia; as well as his beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Jean McLendon and Gail Early.
Joel attended Brown High School in Atlanta. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Mathematics. During his time at UGA, Joel was enthusiastically involved in many organizations and honors, including being selected to the Gridiron Secret Society and Blue Key and Sphinx societies. He also served as the Grandmaster and President of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and was selected the Outstanding Member of his Senior Class, for which he served as Secretary/Treasurer. It was during his time at UGA that he met the love of his life, Martha Howe Chandler of Athens, whom he married in 1957. Joel later earned a B.S. in Meteorology from Oklahoma State University.
Joel served as a weather forecaster in the USAF from 1957 to 1960. After his discharge, he devoted his career to the "new" field of computers, working for Burroughs Corporation (later Unisys) until his retirement in 1998. His tenure there took he and his family to Jacksonville, Florida and then to Michigan, where they lived in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills. He spent the latter part of his career in Atlanta, where they remained until a recent move to Marietta.
Joel was an involved member of his beloved Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Marietta for several years. Prior to that he served as an elder at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody. His faith was an important aspect of his life.
A Service and Celebration of Life Reception for Joel will be held October 28, 2023, at 10:30 AM, at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, in Marietta. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Joel's memory may be made to Eastminster Presbyterian Church or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
