After a short battle with cancer, Corky died in Sylmar, California on September 20, 2020.”Corky” was born on March 20, 1946 in San Fernando, California to Betty Norma Knight and Gerald Russel Knight. He graduated from San Fernando High School in 1963. He attended Pierce College for two years before transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) where he met Marybelle Schade.
Corky and Marybelle married in 1967 and graduated from UCSB in 1968. Corky returned to San Fernando in 1968 where his grandfather, Chester Knight, had been instrumental in starting San Fernando Lumber in 1904, a business which remained in the family for many decades. Corky, who drove trucks for the company in high school, succeeded his father in running the family business until moving on to a second successful career in selling life insurance with Northwestern Mutual.
Corky and Marybelle moved the family to the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) in 1973, after riding out the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. Corky was an active member at Valencia Country Club where he was the handicap chairman for many years and chaired the Annual Henry Mayo Hospital golf tournament at Valencia Country Club for many years. He also served on the board of directors at Henry Mayo Hospital
Corky was an entertainer. He played in a band during high school and college. When he was 50 years old, in an effort to “relive” his glory days as a front man singer and guitar player, he formed a band called “Corky Knight and the Daze.” His goal in starting the band was to play music with friends and have fun. Corky Knight and the Daze made appearances at many parks, restaurants and bars throughout the SCV, Acton and beyond.
Corky loved to sing and play guitar with his bandmates who were also some of his best friends.Corky was a true sportsman as he enjoyed duck and dove hunting, deep sea fishing, lake and stream fishing, surfing, and his favorite activity of all, golf. He loved his time spent with his golf buddies at Valencia Country Club where he was a single digit handicap most of the time.
There was nothing he enjoyed more than playing golf with his friends and his two sons, Jason and Kevin. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Marybelle Knight of Santa Clarita, younger brother, Ken Knight of Santa Clarita, his son Jason Knight, daughter-in-law Kari Knight and granddaughter Lola Knight of Tustin, California and Kevin Knight, daughter-in-law Sheri Knight and granddaughters Emily and Larkin Knight of London, Ontario, Canada.
A Celebration of Corky’s life will be held in the future.