In Memoriam
Ber Knight
06/24/1924 - 12/12/2021 Ber Knight passed away peacefully at home December 12, 2021, surrounded by his family. Ber was born in Denver, the only child of Mark and Mary Knight. Mark was employed in newspaper work so the family moved a great deal. Ber once estimated that he lived in 12 different cities and attended 13 schools. Ber’s grandfather owned and operated a store in Grand Junction and on visits there he often pursued an interest in hiking and fishing. After high school graduation in Janesville, Wisconsin, he entered the
University of Wisconsin at Madison where he pursued a study of electrical engineering and was a member of the varsity swim team. His college career was interrupted by World War II. After a brief stay in Texas for basic training he attended an x-ray technician school in Denver, and then went overseas to England with a brief stay in Austria. While there he drove a variety of four- and sixwheel drive vehicles from jeeps to 2-1/2 ton trucks when repairing x-ray equipment in army hospitals. Upon his return, he re-entered the university to complete his studies, where he was recruited by RCA. He settled in New Jersey, where he worked at RCA on vacuum tubes and integrated circuits. He worked his entire career at RCA and had 14 patents. He married his first wife and they had four children. After retiring in 1983, he and his second wife moved to Moab where he pursued his love of four-wheeling. He liked nothing better than exploring roads. This was greatly enhanced in 1991 when he got his first GPS, enabling him to map all the roads systematically. Over the years he mapped thousands of miles of roads, about 6000 in Grand County, many of which the BLM
Ber Bunny
used on their maps. He also had an interest in geology. He was always willing to help in any way he could by sometimes taking people out on trails, dispensing information, writing or proofreading articles. In previous years, he was very active in the Jeep Safari, handling all mail-in registrations, assembling the newspaper, and sending out information and confirmations. He was a member of the Resource Advisory Council, Chamber of Commerce, Travel Council, and Sand Flats Trail Committee. At his death, he was a member of Red Rock 4 Wheelers and Moab Friends For Wheelin’. He is survived by his wife Charlotte, three children: Judi (Doug) Major, Mary Greening, and Carl (Hildy) Knight and stepson David (Diane) Guertin, seven grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. He was predeceased in death by one child, Mark. It was Ber’s wish that no funeral was held and cremation has taken place.
Following is an excerpt taken from the 2006 Easter Jeep Safari magazine.
There is a certain octogenarian and his devoted spouse that have been putting us younger 4 wheelers to shame for a long time. Recent sightings of the male half of this couple have confirmed the local belief that he has somehow found a way to intertwine his genetic material with that of the Energizer Bunny, creating “Ber Bunny”. His wife also seems to enjoy some of that energy. How else can one explain the 4 wheeling miles they put on their Jeeps constantly (not just weekends!) and the fact that the windshield is usually down and the top off! Outside temperatures don’t seem to wilt them or freeze them, they just keep on going. Unfortunately, the one sighting we have on record only captures “Ber Bunny”, but we remain committed to getting a film record of “Char Bunny” as soon as the opportunity presents itself. www.rr4w.com
2022 Moab Easter Jeep Safari - 161
