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Mark Wickwire Knight of St. Davids and Blooming Grove, PA, passed away peacefully, with his family present, June 25, 2022, of complications from pneumonia. He was 63 years old and lived a full, though much-too-short, life after suffering a catastrophic spinal cord injury at the age of 29. Mark was born in Charlottesville, VA, where his father, Frederick H. Knight III, was studying for his law degree at the University of Virginia and his mother, Roma Wickwire Knight, was tending the home front. Mark and his family moved back to the Philadelphia area in 1960, where his parents had been raised. Mark attended the Haverford School from kindergarten through high school, and has impressively maintained close friendships with many of his classmates. He spent his childhood summers in the Pocono Mountains at his beloved Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club, where he learned to be an accomplished outdoorsman and developed many more life-long friendships. Mark was a proud fourth-generation Blooming Grover, his great-grandfather Theodore H. Wickwire, Jr., having joined the club in the 1920s, followed by his grandfather Theodore H. Wickwire III and mother Roma. Mark’s love of the woods led him to the University of Vermont for college. There he got a degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies and, as Chairman of the Student Association Films, he selected the weekly entertainment programming and booked films. After college he brought his communications skills home to the Philadelphia area where he worked in the film and video industry. As a Production Assistant for TelRa Productions, he did camera work, sound, and editing for sporting events, including college games and professional ice hockey and car racing. NFL Films provided production support for TelRa, and Mark served as the liaison between the two. He also did sound for À La Mode where he helped make music videos of local bands in Philadelphia and New York and videos-of-record for the Brandywine Polo Club. For the latter he traveled extensively on the east coast, and even recorded a match in Palm Beach, FL, in which Prince Charles was playing. Film and video were Mark’s first loves, but in 1987 he had a tragic, life-altering accident that rendered him quadriplegic. He didn’t let that stop him, however, and he found full-time work as a customer service representative at Strawbridge and Clothier. He was very independent with the faithful help of wonderful attendants who stayed with him through the years and became life-long friends. He drove himself to work, and when Strawbridge’s closed he applied to and got a position at Vanguard. Mark was at Vanguard for 15 years before he retired, acting in various roles of increasing responsibility, culminating as Investment Administrator for High Net Worth clients. Despite his background in, and love for, the arts, he challenged himself to learn about the financial industry and achieved a Series 7 certification. In 1998 Mark was awarded a hireAbility Success Award in recognition of his work ethic and the example he set for others. He was married June 3, 2006, to Grace H. Ziesing, literally the “girl next door.” Mark and Grace knew of each other as children through their families, who had met when Mark’s parents bought a house from Grace’s parents in the early 1960s. When Grace returned from college and a career in California in 2002, she moved into the house next door to Mark and they reconnected. They had almost 20 wonderful years together, traveling every summer to Blooming Grove and New Hampshire, where Grace’s family had a house on Squam Lake. Mark loved the north woods and was happy to finally make it back there. Other adventures included a trip to Bermuda to visit his brother’s family, a foray to Charlottesville to see Monticello and the University of Virginia, jaunts to New York, and many more local wanderings. Mark did not waste time before or after retirement. Soon after his injury he joined a rowing program at the Upper Merion Boat House on the Schuylkill. He participated for several years in the Bayada Regatta, winning a solo race in the early 1990s. He was also an active volunteer with several organizations. He loved history and was a member of The Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati. There, he enjoyed spirited conversations about early American history and the Founding Fathers, and served as Chairman of the Membership Committee. He cared deeply for the environment, and volunteered with PennEnvironment, working the phone bank, visiting legislators’ offices, and publishing dozens of incisive and effective opinion pieces in the local newspapers. He also served on the Haverford School Alumni Executive Council and excelled at rallying his classmates to join in reunions. Always aware of his many advantages, Mark also acted as a Peer Mentor at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, helping newly injured people find their way into a new life. Mark was a talented photographer, winning many honors with his thought-provoking photographs. In his later years he focused on a uniquely chair-eye view of the world with evocative pictures of random markings on the pavement that brought to mind paintings of the abstract-expressionists. In 2018 several of his pieces were included in Villanova University’s Expressions and Impressions art exhibit. Mark was also a great appreciator of music, which he shared with many of his good friends and attendants. Wherever he went, and regardless of the social situation, Mark had an uncanny ability to connect with people, listen, and put people at ease, traits that won him hundreds of devoted friends from all phases of his life. Through Mark, many of these people developed friendships with each other in their own right. In addition to his wife, Grace, he is survived by his mother Roma Wickwire Knight and brothers Frederick H. Knight IV and Lawrence A. Knight. He is also survived by his nephews and nieces Frederick H. Knight V, Sarah R. Knight, Lawrence A. Knight, Jr., and Emily R. Knight, and his great-niece Nicole Knight-Hernandez and great-nephew and Cameron Magnanini. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Saturday, July 9, at 3:30 pm at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 763 South Valley Road, Wayne, PA. Livestream of the Memorial Service will be available via the church’s website (www.stdavidschurch.org) In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to The American Chestnut Foundation (acf.org) 50 North Merrimon Avenue, Suite 115 Asheville, NC 28804

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Mark W. Knight

October 17, 1958 - June 25, 2022