WILTON — John Harrison Knight, 94, of Wilton, died Friday, Jan. 12, at his home after a brief illness.

He was born in New York City on Nov. 5, 1923, to Lucille H. Knight and Frederick H. Knight.

He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Linda McGowan; a sister, Virginia Pierson, of Mendham, N.J.; sons, Thomas (and wife Mary Jane), of Bluffton, S.C., Robert (and wife Barbara), of Sterling, Va.; and daughters, Kathryn (and husband Steve) Peters, of Scotts, Mich., Lisa (and husband Steve) Floyd, of Clarkston, Mich., Kristen (and husband Blair) Nowak, of Dallastown, Pa., Allison (and husband Chris) Hall, of Roswell, Ga., and Sarah (and husband Jake) Webb, of Durham; 15 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

In 1947, he married the former Marilyn Nicholls, of Ossining, N.Y., with whom he had three children. Mrs. Knight died unexpectedly from a respiratory illness at age 46 in 1971. A younger brother, Frederick G. Knight, died in 2015.

Knight was a 1945 graduate of Princeton University. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps as a first lieutenant and as a captain in Korea, flying 100 missions. He was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He worked for 31 years for Ford Motor Company in Detroit, New Jersey and Maine.

Knight was an American hero and a devout Christian whose faith touched many.

John Harrison Knight