Betty Knott

Betty Jean Knott was a loving and wonderful mother, wife, grandmother, sister and friend. She was called home on October 31, 2024 after a brief illness at the age of 91.

She was born to Lessie and Claude Parish in 1933 in Emporia, VA. Betty had three beloved sisters, Gaynelle Grizzard, Louise Parish, and Janet Cranford. She is survived by her children, Donna Knott and Charles "Chuck" Knott, her grandson Lars Christian, as well as eight nieces and nephews. Preceding her death were parents Lessie and Claude Parrish, husband Charles "Charlie" Knott, and sister Louise Parish.

Betty spent her childhood in Emporia, VA where she played every sport her school would allow. Her favorite was basketball. She enjoyed spending time with her friends going to the movies and riding bikes. For college, Betty went to Westhampton, part of The University of Richmond in Richmond, VA where she made some life-long friends. Her love of sports continued and she enjoyed playing field hockey and basketball there. She also met her future husband, Charlie, who attended The University of Richmond. Later, she returned to Westhampton for her Master's degree psychology.

Betty was full of life and the courage to live it to the fullest. As a young married couple, Betty and Charlie lived in North Carolina where they both worked for her father in the Parrish Bakery. She worked in the offices while Charlie drove the bakery trucks. After that, they moved to Richmond, VA where Betty was a teacher before she and Charlie adopted their children. She was a woman who was not afraid of challenges. She had four different careers. After teaching, she ran the Golden Skillet fast food restaurant in Tappahannock, VA. When that closed, she took on her biggest challenge...selling insurance. It wasn't the selling part that was the hardest. It was using a computer...just figuring out how to turn it off resulted in a phone call to her daughter to walk her through the process.

One of her most important jobs was as a stay-at-home wife and mother. Like everything else she did, she put her all into her family. Betty was a wonderful mother. She supported both children in all of their various activities from choir concerts to baseball and football games. She was a Sunday School teacher at their church and a Girl Scout leader for her daughter's troop. She was a favorite mom amongst the kids in the neighborhood and church. She was also a fantastic grandmother, helping to raise grandson Lars throughout his life. When he was little, she joined a community pool in Tappahannock where she spent a lot of time watching Lars swim. She was hugely competitive and loved nothing more than to watch Lars compete on the swim team. She took every opportunity to brag about his times, awards, and the records he broke.

Betty began playing tennis when her kids started school. She played at the Avalon Pool and Tennis club where she made some amazing friends who not only played tennis but card games like Bridge and Setback together. Tennis, though, was her passion. In the early 80s, she moved to Tappahannock, VA. Every day at work, she watched her Golden Skillet customers to see which ones were wearing tennis shoes. She asked them if and where they played and that led to another group of wonderful ladies who became close friends. Both groups not only loved to play tennis but they also enjoyed trips to the beach. The stories from those trips were legendary and hilarious.

Throughout her life, Betty was involved with many organizations. She worked with the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation where she helped people suffering from that disease get to and from doctor's appointments, brought them gifts on their birthdays and holidays, and took them on social outings. She was also one of the original founders of the Dunlora Women's Club with several of her long-time friends. They worked with charitable organizations as well as being a social club.

Betty was much loved by everyone who knew her. She lived a long, joyful, and, at times, difficult life with no regrets. We will miss her laugh, her silliness, her wisdom, and most of all, her love.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, November 7th, 2024 at Ridge Baptist Church, 1515 Eastridge Rd. Richmond, VA 23229 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The funeral service will be held on Friday, November 8th, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Faulkner Funeral Home, Marks-Bristow Chapel, 206 North Church Lane, Tappahannock, VA, 22560 with a brief graveside service following the service. A reception will be held at Tappahannock Memorial United Methodist Church 345 Earl St., Tappahannock.