Dateline: May 18, 2006

Funeral services for Bertha Ellen Neal Knight, age 97, were held at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 15, 2006, in the First Baptist Church in Groom with Rev. David Kelly, officiating.  Burial was held in Groom Cemetery under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Mrs. Knight died on Friday, May 12, 2006, in Claude. She was born to Charlie Washington Neal and Daisy Bradley Neal in Rhea, Ark., on January 30, 1909. She attended high school in Mead, Okla.; and in 1930 she moved to Groom, along with her daddy, her sister, and brothers. She married Floyd Elwood Knight on April 26, 1934, at Sulpher, Okla.  She taught Sunday school for 20 years. Then for 15 years she taught the junior boys and girls in Training Union on Sunday nights. She became the Groom Branch Librarian in 1951 and retired on July 31, 1990.  Bertha enjoyed working with the Women’s Missionary Union and served as President of Night Circle.  In later years, she was a member of the TEL Sunday school class and was active in the Senior Citizens Association.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd, on February 3, 1965; her parents; her brothers, A.D. and wife Ethel Whatley Neal, Leslie and wife Dor Brown Neal, William J. Neal; her sister, Nellie Ford; one niece; and one nephew.

Survivors include her sister-in-law, Floreta Neal of Kansas City, Missouri; several precious nieces and nephews, and many cherished friends.

Pallbearers included eight of Bertha’s Training Union boys: Barry Fields, Troy Ritter, Bobby Pool, Donald Burgin, Johnny Burgin, Lanny Frederiksen, Tony Treadwell, and Ronnie Mashburn.

The family requests memorials be to the Groom Branch Library or the First Baptist Church in Claude.