Wanda “Sue” (Girdner) Knight fell asleep here on Earth and woke up in heaven on the night of Tuesday, January 17, 2012, in the home of her granddaughter surrounded by both of her children, granddaughter, granddaughter’s husband and son and her loving husband of nearly 39 years. A brief battle with cancer prevented her from reaching her 80th birthday here on Earth, but allowed her to be present for her mother’s birthday party later this month in heaven.
Sue was born on March 4, 1932, in Bunch, OK to Alton and Lillian (Stevenson) Girdner. She was one of their eight children. Sue married Emmett Perry in 1950, who in 1975 passed away. Sue’s only two children were from that union. Sue married William Knight in 1973. They remained married and side by side until she took her last breath.
While Sue held a number of jobs throughout her lifetime, the titles that meant the most to her were those such as wife, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother because family was most important to her.
She enjoyed music, dancing and embroidery, which she often gave away as gifts. Her embroidery’s craftsmanship was so amazing, it was often difficult to tell whether the pillowcase she made were inside-out or not.
Sue is survived by a large family consisting of her husband, William Knight of Stilwell, OK; her three sisters, Mary “Dixie” Parks, wife of Kenneth Parks of Tahlequah, OK, Joyce McKee, wife of the late Bill McKee of Childress, TX, and Alene Dial, wife of the late Fred Dial of Tahlequah, OK; her brother Brian Girdner of Welling, OK; two children, John Wayne Perry of Welling, OK, and Kim (Perry) Kimble, wife of Donald Kimble of Muskogee, OK; six grandchildren, John Perry, Jr. of Welling, OK, Jeana (Clothier) Underwood, wife of Terry Underwood of Hartford, AR, Janel (Perry) Seibel, wife of John Seibel of Ft. Gibson, OK, Christine “Shane” (Clothier) Sinclair of Tahlequah, OK, Kendra (Clothier) Burleson, wife of Joey Burleson of Tulsa, OK, Janene Perry of Stilwell, OK; nine great-grandchildren, Samuel Wilhite, Emily Bradley, Katelyn Wilhite, Parker Sinclair, Savannah Underwood, Terry “Little T” Underwood, Jr., Evan Burleson, Bradford Duncan and Jordan Seibel. Sue also has several nieces and nephews and a multitude of cousins and friends who survive her as well.
Sue is preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Alton “Ben” Girdner, Bill Girdner and Frank Girdner, niece; Patricia Girdner. While Sue’s family will greatly miss her, they all understand that when God blesses you with an angel in your family, she is merely on loan and will have to return to her Heavenly Father.
The celebration of Sue’s life was held Friday, January 20, 2012 at Roberts Reed-Culver Funeral Home in Stilwell, OK at 1:00 pm and final resting place services will be following at Bunch Cemetery located in the Bunch Community, in Adair County on Old Highway 17, about 3.5 miles south of Cave Springs School.
