November 20, 1947 – March 17, 2016
BRODHEAD, WIS. – Pilot, vintage aircraft and antique car collector, and former owner of Knight Manufacturing, William S. “Bill” Knight, 68, of Brodhead, Wis., died March 17, 2016.
Knight married Susan F. “Sue” Wendler in 1976, and the two spent their honeymoon at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. They celebrated their wedding anniversary at EAA until Susan’s death in 2009.
The Knights were strong supporters of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Antique Airplane Association and Midwest Antique Airplane Club, and in the 1980s, lobbied for state tax relief for private airports open to the public.
Knight is a graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He became president of Knight Manufacturing in 1985 when his father retired. The company was sold to Kuhn North America in 2002, at which time it was renamed Kuhn Knight. The company manufactures manure spreaders and feed mixers for the agricultural industry.
Knight is survived by his partner, Linda Kernen of Brodhead; children, Sarah Knight of Boise, Idaho, and Eric Knight of Brodhead; and brothers, Doug (Janice) Knight of Brodhead, and Ted Knight of Iowa.