Anyone visiting the home of Jackie McKnight would have found a small plaque that read, “Nothing is worth more than this day.”

It was a simple, but profound, message that she made her own.

“Jackie had a personality that was warm, welcoming, open-minded and loving,” said Sam McKnight, her husband of 55 years. “She was direct, honest and forthright in her views, and was fiercely loyal and protective of friends and family, ” said McKnight, founder of the McKnight, Canzano, Smith, Radtke and Brault law firm specializing in representing unions and workers.

A resident of Royal Oak for over 45 years, Jacqueline Joan McKnight (né Piper) died August 12th at St. Anne’s Mead, in Southfield, from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. Her husband was by her side when she died. She was 77.

“On August 12th, the day that Jackie passed, the world lost a beautiful person,” Sam McKnight said.

Born in Detroit, she was an east-sider who graduated from Immaculata High School and attended Michigan State University.

“We meet on a blind date in 1963 when we were in high school,” Sam McKnight said. “I was co-captain of the Austin High basketball team and we had a game that night against our main rivals— U of D Jesuit High. It turned out my blind date was the Homecoming Queen for the U of D football team.” High school wasn’t the only time Jackie was a beauty queen. In 1967, she was selected as Miss Torchy and helped the United Foundation raise more than $26 million for their donation campaign.

The couple married in 1968. “We were an item from February 1963 on,” said Sam McKnight.

Jackie McKnight found joy in working as a teacher’s aid in the preschool at Northwood Elementary in Royal Oak. She also worked as a concierge at Somerset Mall, in Troy, and as a representative for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, in Detroit. Throughout her life, she committed much of her energy to being a partner, mother, grandmother, neighbor and friend.

Jackie was dedicated to bettering her community. She was a member of the Royal Oak Optimists, a volunteer at the Detroit Zoo, a supporter of the Democratic Party, and a champion of Sam’s work for the labor movement. As an active member of the PTA and the Royal Oak Schools Foundation, she worked tirelessly to protect educational opportunities for all children in the public schools.

Jackie enjoyed spending time outside.  She was especially proud of cycling in the week-long RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) multiple times with Sam. She participated in Labor Day walks across the Mackinac Bridge and enjoyed kayaking and snowshoeing at the family cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She loved walking the beaches of Gasparilla Island and reading a book with a view of the lakes of Algonquin Provincial Park.

Jackie valued her family above all else.  Besides her husband Sam, Jackie is survived by a son, Kevin McKnight (of Los Angeles, CA), a daughter Megan McKnight (and son-in-law Daniel Moore), and grandsons Gavin and Finnegan Moore (of Huntington Woods, MI). She also leaves behind many wonderful friends and extended family members. She was preceded in death by her son, Dylan McKnight, and her parents Joe Piper and Zenia Piper (né Wasiakowski).

In addition to Sam, friends, and family, Jackie received loving care and support during her time with Alzheimer’s disease from the staff at the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program in Southfield and the Memory Care staff at St. Anne’s Mead in Southfield.

A memorial service for Jackie McKnight will be held at 11 a.m. on August 26th, at the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit (formerly the Birmingham Temple) with a luncheon afterwards at the same location. The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism is located at 28611 W. Twelve Mile, Farmington, MI.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Royal Oak Optimist Club, 203 S. Troy, Royal Oak, MI 48067; The Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, 29699 Southfield Road, Southfield, MI, 48076 or the North Country Trail Association Inc., 229 E. Main, Lowell, MI 49331.

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