Individual Details

Death

GLASGOW – Evelyn F. Knicely, 85, of Glasgow, died Sunday, May 6, 2012, following a lengthy illness. Mrs. Knicely, a native of Dayton, Va., was the wife of the late Carroll Knicely Sr., and the mother of five children, all of whom survive. She was born April 1, 1927, in Augusta County, Va. She was a graduate of the Rockingham Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Harrisonburg, Va. in 1948 with an R.N. degree. She moved from Waynesboro, Va., to Glasgow in 1957 with her husband and three daughters. After moving to Kentucky, she worked as a homemaker and at the Glasgow Daily Times. After all her children were grown, she continued her work in the medical field for Dr. Charles Woodward as a chiropractic assistant. Mrs. Knicely was a strong, but quiet individual, supporting and co-owning many businesses and development interests with her husband throughout the commonwealth and in other states. She was once described by her late husband as a “superb helpmate,” whose love, support, encouragement, on-the-line help and positive reinforcement all through the years served as strong underpinning and a motivating factor for him. “In proper focus,” he wrote, “it is evident that her presence and input were among the most powerful forces drawing us forward as a team in the step-by-step realization of the goals we sought together.” She and her husband owned and operated the Glasgow Daily Times, as well as other newspapers in the state for several years. She was the strength behind her husband as he left his home in Glasgow for the state capitol in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s while he served in the administrations of Governors Julian Carroll and Martha Layne Collins. The Knicelys were strong supporters of Western Kentucky University and generously donated to the university, which led to the building of the Carroll F. Knicely Institute for Economic Development and Conference Center. A scholarship is also awarded at WKU in honor of Mrs. Knicely. Mrs. Knicely served as First Lady of the National TPA organization, was a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, an honorary member of the Glasgow Rotary Club and a member of the Glasgow Baptist Church. She is survived by three daughters, Kaye Gaines, of St. Petersburg, Fla., Brenda Kramer, of Clearwater, Fla., Beverley White and her husband Mike, of Glasgow; two sons, Carroll Knicely Jr. and his wife Sydney, of Glasgow, and Daryl Knicely and his wife Lisa, of Richmond; four grandchildren, Michael Gaines and his wife Andrea, of Florida; Brooklynne Mannes Maier, of Florida, Breanna and Chance Knicely, of Richmond; four great-grandchildren, Dante Donzelli, of New York, Christian Carroll Maier, Canyon Gaines and Ashlyn Gaines all of Florida; a sister, Juanita Ortega of California, and a brother, Leroy Furr, of Indiana; four caregivers, Glenda Reece, Carla Houchens, Charlene Reece and Nora Brown, all of Glasgow; and a number of nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Carroll Knicely Sr., she was preceded in death by her parents, Annie and Russell Furr; two brothers, Joe and Lloyd Furr; and two grandsons, Billy Ray Gaines and January Mannes. Funeral services will be Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 11 a.m. at A.F. Crow and Son Funeral Home, with burial in Glasgow Municipal Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 3 p.m. on Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to WKU College Heights Foundation, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101, or to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60601, or to the charity of one’s choice.