June Sandra Bell Knight, of Greenwood, Mississippi, passed away peacefully on October 7, 2026.

She was born on March 23, 1940, in Greenwood, Mississippi, to the late Dr. Clifford Sanders Bell and Rubye King Bell.

June grew up in Inverness, Mississippi, where she attended Inverness High School. It was there that she met the love of her life, Bob Knight. She experienced many adventures during her younger years on Montgomery Drive. She attended Mississippi State College for Women, “The W,” and Mississippi College before joining Bob at Mississippi State University, where she earned her degree in education. June and Bob married in 1961 and moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where June taught at a local school while Bob served in the military. After two years, they moved to New Orleans, where June continued her love of teaching at a public school in Kenner. In 1965, Bob and June decided they wanted to raise their family back home in the Mississippi Delta and moved to Greenwood. There, June raised not only her three children, but also helped shape the lives of countless children in the community through her involvement at First Presbyterian Church Day School and, especially, through her many years at Pillow Academy. She began teaching at Pillow Academy in 1972 and taught elementary school there until her retirement in 1997. Her students loved her dearly, and generations of them carried fond memories of their years in her classroom.

June was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, teacher, and friend who treasured her family deeply. Throughout her life, she enjoyed many hobbies and interests. She raised many pets, cats and Saint Bernard’s, and, in her later years, her Boykin Spaniels, Savannah, Tucson, and Emma, brought her great joy. Another of June’s great loves was her hummingbirds. At times, she had 20 to 30 feeders hanging outside and loved sitting in her sunroom watching the hummingbirds fly, feed, and play. She also had a wonderful talent for needlepoint and created many beautiful pieces over the years. Most of all, June loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchild. She found great joy in watching them play, grow, and learn, and she always loved hearing about the new things happening in their lives. June was a member of St. John’s Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Clifford Sanders Bell and Rubye King Bell, son, Robert Roy Knight Jr. and daughter, Gencye Sanders Knight.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Roy “Bob” Knight; her children, William K. Knight (Frances), Stanton E. Knight (Laura), and Cameron Knight Watson (Del); her grandchildren, Julia Eldridge (Ryan), Rebecca Dear (Jameson), Robert Knight, Madeline Knight, Caroline Knight, Mary Gencye Knight, Daniel Watson, Ryan Watson, and Emily Watson; her great-grandchild, William Eldridge; and her siblings, Jimmy L. Bell (Ellouise) of Inverness, MS, Dr. King Bell of Inverness, MS, Don C. Bell (Linda) of Tuscaloosa, AL, Tim Bell of Tuscaloosa, AL, and Rosemary B. Murphy (Sean) of Indianola, MS.

The family would also like to express their sincere gratitude to her nurses especially Simmons Eldridge, sitters Josephine West, Sadie West, Shekia Prayer, Ruby Leason, Flora Murry, Benice Hunt, Ashlee Nason, Mary Gardner, Tanga White, Leticia Frezelle, Shanique Cole and others who lovingly cared for June during the final chapter of her life. Their compassion, patience, kindness, and dedication brought tremendous comfort not only to June, but also to the entire family. The love and tenderness they showed her will always be remembered and deeply appreciated.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Oct. 9th from 5pm until 7pm at Wilson and Knight Funeral Home. A graveside service on Oct. 10th at 11 am will be held at Hickory Grove Cemetery in Inverness, Mississippi.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Pillow Academy.

Above all, June will be remembered for the love she gave so freely to her family, her students, her friends, and her community. Her kindness, devotion, faith, and spirit touched generations, and her memory will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.